One of my amarylises and my hyacinths have finished flowering. I've cut off the dead flowers. Is there anything else I should do?
Should I feed them?
My hyacinths are delph blue - are they hardy enough to be planted in the garden?
With Amaryllis, this is what works for me, and they than flower well the next year:
Feed copiously now, and leave in pot in conservatory/spare room until May. Stick pot out into hidden, but sunny, corner of garden. Water as necessary (when I remember!).
About 3 months before you want them to flower again, cut off all leaves, put in dark cool place (in garage) and stop watering. 6 weeks later, stick in warm place [airing cupoboard] for a few weeks to get them started again, water & feed so not too dry. When shoots/leaves are about 1" (I always get leaves coming simultaneously, if not first), take out into room and water as necessary. Then in a few weeks, Hey Presto, beeooootiful multiple flowers.
This is probably against all sage advice, but as I say, it works for me. Good luck.
Thanks Dawn. Very indepth!
This is my first year of amarylising and I've already got two!
Hi,
I think i read somewhere that this was what to do, so have been following it since. However, i've since been told all kinds of different things (take bulb out of compost and let it rest, water it, don't water it, feed it, don't feed it...). I just stick to this.
Hyacinths when they have finished flowering should have the old flowering stalk cut out. Then you may either plant them out in the garden or keep them in their pot if it is deep enough. In the garden they need a well drained spot in sun. They are hardy, ours have survived and bulked up nicely over the last 8 years here. If planting out, then remember that they bulb needs to be about 4 inches below soil level, even if this means burying some of the leaves.
If you planted the bulbs in a deep pot then feed with any liquid plant food until the leaves start to go yellow, then stop feeding and watering and allow them to dry out. Store over Summer in a cool dry, vermin free place and replant in Autumn. They are not much use for early flowering next year though, do better in the garden.
That is more or less what I do with my Amarylis and they come back fine and dandy. Mine lives in the garden until October when all of my tenderest of things move into the greenhouse, which at that time is unheated. They stay in their pots and are forgotten about until about late December time when they come into the conservatory and start getting watered. If you have more than one you can try what I am trying and that is bringing them in at different times to prolong the flowering period. I am on my 3rd one and still have another 3 buds on different bulbs in various stages of growth. ;D
Thanks Emma and Eric also.