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 Fight
the Winter Blues with Double Amaryllis
By Melinda Myers
[October 25, 2025]
Add unique
flare to this winter’s indoor garden and décor with double
amaryllis. The several layers of colorful petals are sure to make a
statement wherever they are displayed.
Start the amaryllis season with early blooming varieties grown in
the southern hemisphere. Double Alaska features frilly, fully double
white flowers with a lime green center. Order bulbs early, store
them in a cool, dry, dark location and plant these early blooming
bulbs by November 1st if you want flowers for the holiday. |
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Keep the color coming throughout the winter by growing a variety of
other double amaryllis grown in the Northern hemisphere that begin
blooming in January. Plant a few bulbs every three weeks to extend
your enjoyment for several months.
Watch the colors change on Double Giant Amadeus amaryllis. The
petals start as mostly white with a fine red outline. As the flowers
mature, the color intensifies to a blushing pink, coral and salmon.
Grow Double Sweet Nymph (longfield-gardens.com) for a bit of a
romantic charm. The layers of creamy white petals are covered with
coral pink stripes.
If you like the traditional red amaryllis, you will enjoy the giant
red flowers of Double King. Each bulb produces three stems with four
or more blooms that open at different times to extend your
enjoyment.
The candy cane striped narrow petals of Double Doublet are sure to
catch your attention. Each flower is a bit different, adding to its
uniqueness. Watch as the three stems grow, producing as many as a
dozen flowers from each bulb.
Enjoy weeks of artistic blooms when you grow Double Aphrodite
amaryllis. The ruffled white petals have a narrow red edge and lime
green center. The fine red brushstrokes that extend from the petal
tips add to this amaryllis’s charm.
Plant your amaryllis bulbs in a quality potting mix with the top
half above the soil surface. Grow a single bulb in a pot that is
seven to eight inches deep and five to six inches across with
drainage holes. Or group several bulbs together in a larger
container. Water the potting mix thoroughly and place the container
in a cool sunny location. Continue to water thoroughly but only
often enough to keep the soil barely moist.
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Add a bit of elegance and ease of care by going soilless. Place
several inches of pebbles in the bottom of a glass vase or
watertight container. Cover the pebbles with water. Set the bulb on
top of the pebbles, adding more stones around the bulb to hold it in
place. Leave the top one third of the bulb exposed. Add water as
needed to maintain the water level just below the bulb.
Now relax and wait a month or more for your amaryllis bulb to wake
up and start growing. Water more often once sprouts appear. Enjoy
the transformation as the bulb turns into a flowering plant over the
next few weeks.
Growing amaryllis indoors will keep you gardening all year long,
providing mood-boosting benefits and stress relief. Plus, the
colorful blossoms are sure to brighten your winter days.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books,
including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small
Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything”
instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s
Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned
by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com] |
