Amaryllis in garden

My Amaryllis have spent summer in the garden but they better get pulled soon so they can rest and bloom for me.
Then again...what if i just use them for summer blooming bulbs? heaven knows i will have plenty of potted plants inside. I often go too late with amaryllis and they bloom with my croci etc and thats not as exciting
Thoughts?

Well, Sally---You have asked the $64,000 question.

--There is so much different advice on how to care for Amaryllis.
--How to grow/care for it during summer
--When to bring it in to start going dormant
--HOW to do the dormancy--keep in pot or remove bulbs and let dry?

I have always followed Allan Summers advice. But that may be dated by now and just HIS opinions.
He always said to bring the pots in well ahead of the bloom time and let the pots go dry in a cool basement.
The leaves will yellow quickly and fall off.
Then you trim back the neck of the bulb to a nice level cut and keep watching for a flower bud to start emerging.
Then you water and bring it up to a warm room and good light and start watering it.
That is according to Allan.

Now--I also have an old (1996) Jack Eden Calendar--called "Jack Eden's Garden Guide".
I also remember reading his advice (don't remember it now) and adding that to my knowledge base.

There is a 2 page spread on Amaryllis care.
I tried twice, just now, to take photos of the pages to post here, but they were not too readable--
and the light from my lamp caused a lot of glare on the pages. Should copy them and mail them to you.

So--I decided to Google him. Seems he has passed away. Don't know when...There was a note of January-but no year.
Seems he also had a book out on "Jack Eden's four Season Garden Guide" .
Amazon came up in the links. Good grief!!!! This book, in good used condition is selling for $180-$300!!!
Wonder how much my calendar is worth??? It is in absolutely New condition....

Jill seems to have amazing Amaryllis all the time. I know she plants them in the ground and lets them grow lush
throughout the summer. Then digs them up, rests them and pots them up in time for the blooms during the Holidays.
I do wonder how often she buys new bulbs????

I have never had much luck with Amaryllis. My bulbs are all VERY old! Old enough that I bought a few and
potted a bunch in one big pot when I was still listening to Allan Summers on the radio. How many years ago is that???

I always blame myself for not feeding and watering them enough during the summer. Been trying to be better at it.
They have really good leaf growth on them. I also totally repotted them last year.
The 5 pots I have by now are growing well--have grown offshoots--and I think it would be time to take them in and let them start
their dormancy. I may be a bit late already for that....mine always end up blooming in February or March because of it.

SO! Long story short--I cannot offer you any good advice on this topic. Just talked a lot! THAT I am good at!

You may want to check out "Jack Eden's Garden Guide" and see if it is in your Library.
The calendar is published and distributed by Login Publishers Consortium.
Original copyright is for 1991. He has the address listed as well:

PO Box 265
Arnold, MD 21012

The picture in the back of the calendar should come out OK.

Happy gardening, friend!!! Gita

Thanks Gita!
May not have told me much about amaryllis but i learned about jack eden. I was not familiar with him, but wow that price...

Sally--

In Jack Eden's Garden Guide Calendar----

There are "Seasonal Care" of many other plants.
Also--directions to deal with everything else..Common weeds, Insects,
Lawn care and grasses, a whole page of soil Ph requirements for different plants.

In the Calendar part--EVERY single day has lists of what to do!, Information on
propagating, pruning and fertilizing things--,All aspects of Vegetable gardening,
Vegetable pests, etc...

A totally amazing collection of priceless information....
I think I bought this Calendar in a book store back then....Have you found a source yet?

I scanned the pages on Amaryllis and CC.'s

Sent them to your e-mail so you can print them out.
OK! have to get back to cleaning out my shed--Day #2.

Gita

Here is the link to jack Eden's Obituary from the Washington Post--
He died in January, 2009.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403473.html

Sally, didn't you mention that you'd heavily mulched an amaryllis and had it overwinter one year? Is that what you're talking about doing?

I've dug them and let them go dormant (to "time" the blooms, 6 weeks from getting them going again), and I've also dug them and kept them green & growing -- they bloom when they want, and the bulb doesn't take a break from growing bigger. Both ways work, but I've got enough planted into the ground in summer now that it's easier not to try to keep the leaves intact when I lift them.

I've got a couple of "amaryllis 101" articles that Sally & Gita have probably read, but I'll post a link to the first for anybody that might want to take a look: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/364/

I do have a weakness for "just one more" new-to-me amaryllis variety, and I've bought quite a few the past couple of years, partly because I did lose some of them when they stayed potted in the basement (with infrequent watering) for 2 years straight... amazing to me that they didn't all just croak, but most of them just got a little smaller. A few bloomed last winter that I hadn't seen for a while, since they finally had a chance to get big enough again. :-)

The majority of my amaryllis do make it from one year to the next, so I'm not just buying new bulbs all the time to replace lost one. Also, my bulbs have been multiplying, so new purchases just mean an ever-increasing collection (and more digging). I might have to start summering some of them in pots, but they grow so much better for me in the ground, with a soaker hose for regular irrigation. I've been potting them up 3 at a time once I get a couple of "baby" bulbs, and that really increases/prolongs the display.

Jill, the amaryllis centerpieces you brought to our Seed Swap were fabulous! Whatever you are doing, I think you amy continue.

I forgot that I had done that letting them stay in ground. I think they diminished in that spot as it wasn't my warmest.

What I am doing is, I have pulled some, but left two large ones to grow on , its now been another month of nice weather for them! I will pull them soon- ish..maybe once frost actually hits here. Then if they do not start growth on their own, will plant them when the soil temps are good next spring and hope they bloom then.

I haven't pulled any of mine yet, been too busy with other things... Last year, I just let them sit until the leaves died back, then potted them up, didn't really worry about whether they'd had "enough" dormancy. Of course, last year I ended up buying some new bulbs, and those were the ones that bloomed for Christmas... but the ones from previous years provided exuberant color the rest of the winter. I just brought them upstairs once they started to put up flower stalks, then returned them to the basement (light shelf, or by a fairly bright window) once they were done blooming.

I have some green and growing in the pots and some dormant upstairs. The ones that are dormant are starting to show some signs of green tips so I had better start watering them.

Dang, I had forgotten about the two that I brought inside a week or so ago. I did a bit of research on them but didn't make a decision as what exactly to do with them. Thanks for reminding me Sally. Hmmmmm.....I wonder. I just made a note to tend to these ASAP....also made note to do some Prayer Plant re-potting as they are growing out of the smallish containers I planted them in. Looks like I will get to play in the dirt today after all.

Ruby

I have a bunch in pots. For years, I have just tipped them, in their pots, on their sides to dry (usually around this time of year), then stored them in the garage over the winter. Worked like a charm. But the last two years I didn't fertilize them much if at all -- it is clear they need a lot, because my bulbs have gotten really small. Next year I vow to fertilize them more, if they make it through this winter!

Good luck Happy. My two are still in pots waiting for me to decide what to do with them.

Ruby

My 5 pots are now in the shop--mostly in the dark.
It is amazing how quickly the leaves turn yellow--then just melt away--to be picked off.

When all the leaves are off--I will give them a dry, rest until I see new leaves emerging.
Then--up in my LR they will go to continue.

Happy---I am also VERY negligent about fertilizing my Amaryllis throughout the summer.
Almost never! What do you all fertilize them with???

Gita

If you (like me) don't remember to use a water soluble or granular fertilizer regularly, try repotting them after they bloom and adding a time-release fertilizer like osmocote.

Jill -- I do that every couple of years -- but haven't recently.

Gita -- I usually hit them at least a couple times with a water-soluble fertilizer -- but haven't recently. Mine are in little pots, so they can't grab fresh nutrients from the surrounding soil. They are dependent on me for food....