Hippeastrum or Amaryllis?

Both, actually! Hippeastrum is the Latin genus for the bulbous, beautiful plants we grow during the holidays, but everyone calls them by their common name, Amaryllis. There are likely over 600 cultivars with more being produced yearly! Originally from the tropical forests of Brazil, Peru and other S. American countries, they are a houseplant in our zone (but certainly can be outdoors in the summer) and a perennial in zone 8 and higher. Although they are most commonly grown for the gorgeous, huge flowers during the holidays, you can easily get them to re-bloom.

Those that are labelled ‘Dutch’ typically put up a scape without foliage and those that are ‘Israeli’ usually have foliage and flower scapes at the same time. Regardless of which cultivar you buy, place them in a clay pot not much larger than the bulb, leaving the top one-third above the soil. Potting soil is fine for the bulbs. They should be placed in bright light and given moderate moisture. Blooming usually starts about 8 weeks after planting. Water regularly when the scapes emerge and while the foliage grows. Moving them outside to bright light will help next year’s buds form. When the foliage turns yellow, stop watering and fertilizing and bring indoors before frost. The bulb will want about 2 months of dormancy in a cool, dark place before the cycle begins again!