Amaryllis bulbs

Dovefromabove

I’m reliably informed by one Father Christmas’s Elves that there are some rather lovely amaryllis bulbs with my name on. 

Where/how should the Elf store them so that I can receive them on  Christmas Day and plant them Boxing Day?

Buttercupdays

They apparently take approx 8 weeks from planting to flowering, so if the elf were to plant one you could receive it in bloom... You'd still have the others to play with for  yourself I would think a cool room would be the best place to keep them.

No elves here, so I've ordered a really dark red one for myself, velvety and almost black like some dahlias. I need something to look forward to!

Dovefromabove

Thanks @Buttercupdays ... the concern is that with Covid, the Elf thinks Father Christmas’s delivery schedule may be a bit haywire so it will be better  not to plant them before delivery. 

Elf suggests keeping them in a cool dark shed ... or do they need refrigeration?

Mary370

Mine has just woken up and started growing...... don't know if it will flower as it flowered in June.......

Wild_Violet

I had one from last Christmas flower again just recently!  It was a lovely surprise but maybe because I’d not stored the bulb away after the first flowering. 

fidgetbones

I plant new amaryllis bulbs at the beginning of November. Even so, it tends to be hit and miss whether they flower for Xmas.Different varieties seem to flower at varying times.  Old bulbs that have flowered before tend to get thrown out somewhere for the summer, in a hot summer they retain the leaves and have been known to flower at some very random times. I had one in flower in August. What I do know is the ones forgotten about in the polytunnel that got frosted turned into a mushy mess.   I would get the elf to plant them now, and then put them in the spare bedroom. They generally need some heat to get them started, but once the flower stem starts to go up, somewhere a bit cooler and plenty of light unless you want a three foot flower stem.

Dovefromabove

Thanks folks 😊 Our problem is that we’re not sure when or how the elf and Father Christmas are going to transport the amaryllis ... the thought of Santa’s sleigh flying through the skies with several growing stems waving in the wintry wind is a bit worrying ... 

Thats why we thought keeping them unplanted  would be best. 

strelitzia32

Amaryllis need vernalization, so I think a cool dark place for 10 weeks lines up perfectly with Xmas, ready to plant immediately on Boxing day. Not sure what your local conditions are like, but round here it's still too warm to trigger vernalization (high of 14 degrees today!), so you might need to keep them in the fridge for a few weeks until the temps drop to around 5. 

Dovefromabove

That’s exactly what I was wondering @strelitzia32
... I wonder whether my own particular Elf 🧝‍♀️ has room in her fridge or whether she’d better get them to my Under Gardener 🎅 ASAP so he can ‘hide’ them in our garage fridge. 

Wonder what @WonkyWomble thinks? 🤔 😉 

ColinA

I only stop watering mine in September and then keep in a cool light utility room over winter gradually removing the leaves as they die off, in late winter/early spring when they start to show new shoots i repot using fresh compost and start watering and feeding. I have kept my bulbs for many years using this method

WonkyWomble

Amaryllis Elf at your service! They have arrived and are stored in cool dark shed in wicket basket with cardboard on top... very posh and exotic they will be too!!! 🌺