Plant Spotlight

For November, we are featuring paperwhite bulbs and amaryllis. Check us out on Facebook and Instagram for more plant content.

Holiday Bulbs Both amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs are native to Central and South America. November is the perfect time to plant these tropical bulbs to enjoy them for the holiday season.   Paperwhite bulbs flower four to six weeks after planting and amaryllis bulbs flower five to eight weeks after planting.

Amaryllis Bulbs After you purchase your bulb you can plant it in water or soil. Amaryllis bulbs are quite large, one bulb will fill a 6” pot and three bulbs will fill a 10-12” pot. Water sparingly. When we plant amaryllis bulbs for Christmas the bulbs get planted in Lockwood’s potting soil and watered well. We wait until we see the flower spike starting to grow before we water them again. These plants do not have a strong root system and overwatering them will cause the bulb to rot.  The flower spikes from amaryllis often need to be staked. Staking with red or yellow twig dogwood looks decorative but also serves the purpose of keeping your flower stalk upright. Once blooming, amaryllis flowers last for several weeks.  Unlike paperwhite bulbs, amaryllis bulbs can be saved from year to year but they need a period of dormancy in order to flower again.

Paperwhite Bulbs Paperwhites can be planted in an all-purpose potting mix, decorative sand, or stone. Set the bulb in your choice of medium and press down gently to stabilize. Keep soil evenly moist. If your bulbs are planted in soil or sand keep your vase filled with water just so the very bottom of the bulb is wet.  Watch your bulbs grow and in a few weeks you will be able to enjoy paperwhite blooms.

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