About a month before Christmas I was given an Amaryllis as a gift. I followed the instructions and now have beautiful flowers growing. As I have never grown these flowers before, I am unsure what I should do with the bulb/plant once the flowers die out. Do they come back every year ? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.
As I grow amaryllis both indoors and out and have done so for many, many years - hopefully this will help.
After flowering remove the spent flower stem just above the base of the bulb and then so long as the foliage remains green - maintain it by keeping it slightly moist - as well as providing it with plenty of light and giving it the occasional feed until the leaves start to yellow - which is usually around late summer to early autumn.
As the yellowing of the foliage is a sign that it is going into dormancy - stop feeding and watering and then once all the foliage has turned yellow - cut the leaves back to just above the bulb and place in a cool, dry dark place and allow it to rest for at least 6 to 8 weeks - after which time - bring back into the light and start the whole process all over again.
Oh and I would just add that if you want bigger blooms and repeat ones too - its generally better to only re-pot Amaryllis every two to three years.
