A visitor to this blog Emailed to ask when Amaryllis bulb kits usually go on sale. Based on the question, I think the visitor hasn't been to many garden centers within the past two weeks. Usually the week after Halloween is when you'll spot the first signs of Amaryllis kits appear in big box stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart and Target. I visited a couple of these stores today to double-check and there were several of the kits on shelves ready for sale. I also stopped at a couple of independent garden centers near me and they too had Amaryllis bulbs for sale. Most of these bulbs were loose bulbs and two-three times more expensive than the kits, for some of the same varieties. You figure it out.
If you're looking to buy some Amaryllis bulb kits for yourself or to give as gifts get to these stores now. As we get closer to Thanksgiving the bulbs will begin to break dormancy because of the warm temperatures in these stores. Also, savvy bulb hunters know to inspect the bulbs in kits to make sure they're not already awake, damaged or diseased. If you wait too long to buy your bulbs you'll end up picking up the bulbs the rest of us didn't want.
When you bring one of these kits home if you decide you're not ready to plant the bulb, keep it in a cool and dark location to keep it from breaking dormancy. In the past I've kept bulbs I wanted to bloom later in the winter in an unheated room or put them in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator.
I have never had one of the amaryllis bulbs. I am always so busy with other things I never think to buy one. But I see them everywhere in the winter. They look like a lot of fun. I am assuming they only bloom one year, but it looks like I might be able to start some bulbs from seed, if I read some of the links on the side of your blog correctly.
ReplyDeleteGardenMom,
ReplyDeleteAmaryllis bulbs will bloom again in following years provided you fertilize them (they're heavy feeders) often and regularly. Most of them can also be grown from seeds they produce, but it takes them a couple of years to mature and bloom.
hey there,
ReplyDeletejust wonderin' - how do u prefer to get your bulbs?! in a kit, dryed out (just the bulb itself) or already awaken and growin' (even bloomin')?!
me, honestly, prefer to get my bulbs dryied out, coz it's more interestin' when u observe all the growin' phases..
and, as far as I've realized, in Europe ( live in Germany) they start to be sold in the begginin' of September, later on they are sold only as a growin' plant already (90% of the shops)..
and how much does a bulb cost in US?! in Europe they cost usually between 4 and 14$ (it depens on how big the bulb is, if it's potted or already growin')..
hugs,
Vlad.