Growing And Caring For Amaryllis Plants - The Old Farmer's Almanac

Did you bring home an amaryllis bulb for the holidays—or receive one as a festive gift? You’re in good company. These bold winter bloomers have become a seasonal favorite, brightening windowsills long before spring arrives. But once those dazzling flowers fade, many people are left wondering what comes next.

Good news: your amaryllis is far from finished. With the right care through winter, spring, and summer, it can rebloom beautifully year after year. Whether you’re just potting up a holiday bulb or planning ahead for its post-bloom life, here’s how to keep your amaryllis healthy, happy, and ready for its next spectacular show.

About Amaryllis

Like daffodils or tulips, the amaryllis plant starts out as a bulb—often sold as part of a kit containing the bulb, a heavy pot, and some growing medium (ideally, a sterile, soilless potting mix). They are naturally spring-blooming bulbs, producing flowers at some point between late winter and mid-spring (February to April in the Northern Hemisphere). However, amaryllis are commonly forced to bloom earlier in winter, in time for the winter holidays.

After the flowers die back, the plant’s large leaves soak up sunlight for the rest of spring and summer, providing them with the energy they’ll need to bloom again in the following spring. With the arrival of autumn, the leaves die back, and the bulb goes dormant until later winter when the blooming process begins anew.

Amaryllis … or Not?

Historically, there has been some confusion regarding the name of this plant. Most amaryllis varieties grown today are hybrids and are not true amaryllis; they are instead part of the genus Hippeastrum, which is native to tropical parts of South America, from the Andes to Brazil. True amaryllis—members of the genus Amaryllis—are native to South Africa and are also known as belladonna lilies (despite not being true lilies). That being said, both Hippeastrum and Amaryllis are part of the Amaryllidaceae family, so they are all related in some sense!

The name amaryllis comes from the Greek word amarysso, which means to sparkle.