Amaryllis on the allotment

I've never heard of amaryllis being planted out balcony. Does it give them the nutrients & battery re-charging they need for the next season's flowering? Is this better for them than just leaving them in the pot?
I'm intrigued! :o)

I am wondering as well, I only have one which didn`t flower last year,it started regrowing a few weeks ago and I`m at a loss as what to do with it so any advice from you will be much appreciated, yours are fabulous.......

This will be the first time I have ever planted them outside because until now I've never had an "outside"! I've only ever grown them in pots. One of my sisters gave me my first ever Amaryllis for Christmas 1981. I planted it on Christmas Day & it flowered on February 26th 1982. When we went back to Spain in August 1982 I took the bulb with me. It took very well to the Spanish weather & I kept bulbs growing from it for at least 18 years! The original would have "disappeared" at some unknown moment when it became a part of its many, many offspring!

When we returned to the UK in 2001 I bought 3 bulbs from a stall during the 1st International Market celebrated in Huntingdon (It's now become an annual fixture). They are still growing today! In one pot!

There were 3 colours one pure white, one pure red & one a red with a white stripe down the petals. Every single year the red one has flowered - once or twice it has produced a second stem during the year! That's 9 years without fail. But the other two don't flower every year, the white one last flowered 2 years ago & then subdivided into many smaller bulbs. The red with white stripe flowered last year but much later than the red one.

I just keep them in the sunniest spot on my balcony & then treat them just the same as any other flower. Just be careful with the watering as they can rot quite easily, they are better on the dryish side. Also a weekly feed with a high potash fertilizer, such as for tomatoes or roses, from August to October will encourage them to produce big flowers next spring.

Being as this will be the first time I've ever grown them "out doors" I will keep you informed of their progress in my allotment updates that I plan to publish every two weeks.

I wish you lots of luck with your Amaryllis bulbs, it will be very interesting to see how they develop, you certainly seem to be making full use of your allotment and enjoying it too;0)

Thanks Pansypotter for your good wishes.

At present there are still lots of beds that are empty. Gerry has some sweet corn growing in pots at home that he intends to bring & plant. I have some sweet pepper seedlings that I want to transfer to the allotment, too. I had been growing cucumber seeds to put on there as well but the last of the 15 seedlings have just died! :-( I have some tomato seedlings as well & if they survive I will put them down there as well.

My daughter gave me 6 tomato plants, that she has raised from seed, for my birthday last Sunday. I'm undecided as to what to do with them - on the one hand I have thought of putting them on the allotment but on the other hand I thought I could grow them on the balcony. Almost every year I have a few tomatoes growing on the balcony. I still have the growbag I used for growing them last year. But I think you are not supposed to grow them in the same soil/bag once used for growing them. I used a lot of tomato fertilizer last year in it.

I also have some flower seeds I want to sow there as well. There is still plenty of room for whatever we decide to plant.

They are a success story. I hope the snails don't bother them too much on the alotment.

I hope they don't cause too much damage as well!

I have a few more to take down tomorrow. But I still have one plant that has produced a third stem, much to my surprise! But when that is finished I will have no more Amaryllis flowers this year.

3 stems is unusual. That's very nice for you. Are youy going to feed them while they are in the ground ? I used to feed mine but they were in pots.

hope all goes well with them... mine stll hasnt flowered i think i will put in on the patio in the sun for the summer...

I took another half a dozen Amaryllis down to the allotment today & planted them. I have another 6 on the living room table with flowers when the last of them has finished that will be all for this year.

I was very surprised to get 3 or 4 plants with up to 3 stems! Especially as this is their first flowering! I have had many with 2 stems & a few with just one. About half a dozen haven't flowered this year yet, if I'm lucky I may get a flower from them before the end of the year. But then I won't get any more flowers from them next year! :-(

I still have the first 3, one pure white, one pure red & one red with white stripes, still growing in the same pot they have shared for about 8 years! I'm thinking of taking it down as well. Perhaps they will built up enough energy to flower next year. The red one has flowered every year I've had it, about 9 now, sometimes it has flowered twice in the same year. The other two last flowered, with the red one, around 3 years ago. The white one didn't flower last year though the other did!.

When I dig them up in the autumn I'll separate them. I don't want to separate them now. It may cause too much damage to the roots & they may not grow well this year.

Hywel, yes, I will feed them with tomato fertilizer. I'll probably start in July & continue with weekly feeds till the end of September. 3 months of that should be enough to get them to flower next year. I'm not keeping any at home.

Sorry to hear that yours has not flowered yet, Hollyeves. Perhaps it hadn't built up enough energy to flower. You are doing right, putting it in the sun, these bulbs do best when they can get a baking during the summer. Is 3/4 of your bulb above the soil level? These bulbs don't like to be buried & can rot quite quickly if covered. They also support dryness much better than excessive wetness. Give the bulb some tomato fertilizer from July till September. One last point, they need a spell of cold to flower. A couple of months over the winter in a frost proof place will help it to flower.