Amaryllis care: plant it, flower it, keep it

By Sophie Sparkes · October 2026 · 6 min read

An amaryllis bulb is about the easiest big flower you can grow indoors. Plant it in autumn and a few weeks later you get a tall stem carrying three to five huge trumpet flowers, right when the garden has nothing to offer. Most people throw the bulb away afterwards, but with a bit of care it will flower again next winter, and the winter after that.

Short answer: plant the bulb in a pot only a little wider than it, with the top third to half of the bulb above the compost. Water sparingly until a shoot appears, then keep the compost just moist in a warm, bright spot. It usually flowers six to ten weeks after planting. After flowering, cut off the faded flowers but keep the leaves growing and feed them until late summer, then stop watering, let the leaves die back and rest the bulb for about eight weeks before starting again.

Amaryllis or hippeastrum?

The big bulbs sold as "amaryllis" in the shops at Christmas are really hippeastrum, from Central and South America. The true Amaryllis belladonna is a different plant: a South African bulb with pink flowers that grows outdoors in a warm, sunny spot and flowers in early autumn. Everything in this guide is about the indoor Christmas kind, which is what almost everyone means.

How to plant an amaryllis bulb

• Choose a big, firm bulb. Bigger bulbs give more flower stems. Avoid soft, mouldy or dried-out bulbs.
• Use a heavy pot only slightly wider than the bulb, leaving about 2.5-5cm of space all round. Amaryllis flower best when a little snug, and a heavy pot stops the tall stem tipping over.
• Use multipurpose compost with a handful of grit or perlite for drainage. The pot must have a drainage hole.
• Plant it high. Sit the bulb so the top third to half is above the compost. Burying the neck invites rot.
• Water once, lightly, then hold back until you see the shoot. Wet compost and no leaves is the classic way to rot a new bulb.

Some growers soak the roots in lukewarm water for a few hours before planting, which does no harm and can help dried-out bulbs get going.

Light, warmth and watering

To get it started, a warm room around 20°C and a bright windowsill is ideal. Once the bud shows, keep it in good light and turn the pot a quarter turn every few days, because the stem leans hard towards the window. Water when the top of the compost feels dry, and tip out any water left in the saucer after half an hour.

Once the flowers open, moving the pot somewhere a little cooler, around 15-18°C and out of direct sun, makes them last noticeably longer. Tall stems may need a thin cane and a loose tie.

How long until it flowers?

Usually six to ten weeks from planting, depending on the variety and how warm the room is. Planted in late October or early November, most will flower in December or January. For flowers on Christmas Day itself, aim to plant around mid-October to early November, and stagger two or three bulbs a couple of weeks apart if you want colour right through winter.

Waxed amaryllis bulbs

Waxed bulbs are sold sealed in coloured wax with no pot or compost. They need no water at all: the bulb already holds the food and moisture for one flowering. Just stand it somewhere bright and warm. The catch is that the wax stops roots forming, so the bulb is usually exhausted afterwards. You can peel off the wax and pot it up after flowering, but treat a waxed bulb as a one-season decoration and anything after that as a bonus.

What to do after your amaryllis has flowered

This is the part that decides whether you get flowers next year.

1. Snip off each flower as it fades, just behind the flower, so the plant does not waste energy making seed.
2. Cut the flower stalk back to about 5cm above the bulb once it turns yellow and sags. Leave it until then, since the green stalk is still feeding the bulb.
3. Keep the leaves. Keep watering whenever the compost dries and give a liquid feed every two to three weeks. A high-potash feed such as tomato feed works well.
4. Put it outside for summer if you like, in a bright, sheltered spot, once there is no risk of frost (usually from late May). Bring it back in before the nights get cold in September.

Resting the bulb and getting it to flower again

In late August or September, stop watering and stop feeding. Over the next few weeks the leaves will yellow and flop. Once they are brown, cut them off just above the bulb and keep the pot somewhere cool, dry and dark, ideally around 10-13°C, such as a spare room or a frost-free shed. Leave it completely dry for about eight to ten weeks.

To wake it up, scrape off the top few centimetres of compost and replace it with fresh, or repot into fresh compost if the bulb has filled the pot (every two or three years is plenty). Then bring it into the warm and water lightly, exactly as you did the first time.

Amaryllis questions

Do amaryllis flower every year?

Yes, if the bulb is allowed to keep its leaves and is fed after flowering, then given a dry rest in autumn. A well-grown bulb gets bigger each year and can flower for many years, sometimes with two stems instead of one.

When should I cut back amaryllis leaves?

Only once they have yellowed and died back naturally, which happens in late summer or early autumn after you stop watering. Cutting green leaves off earlier starves the bulb and is the most common reason it does not flower again.

How deep do you plant amaryllis bulbs?

Not deep at all. The top third to half of the bulb should sit above the compost, with the neck and shoulders clearly showing.

Can amaryllis be planted outside in the UK?

The Christmas amaryllis (hippeastrum) is not frost hardy, so it can only go outside for summer and must come in before cold nights. The true Amaryllis belladonna can grow outside in a very warm, sunny, well-drained spot, mainly in milder areas.

Is amaryllis toxic to cats and dogs?

Yes. Amaryllis is toxic to cats and dogs, and the bulb is the most toxic part. Eating it can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling and tummy pain. Keep bulbs out of reach, especially before planting, and call your vet if a pet has chewed one.

Why is my amaryllis all leaves and no flower?

The bulb did not store enough energy the previous year, usually because the leaves were removed early or it was not fed. Grow it on through summer with regular feeding, rest it in autumn and it should flower the following winter.