How to Grow Amarilla Flowers

The amarilla flower is a tropical plant from South Africa. It is also called the amaryllis bulb or Belladonna lily. The plant grows from a bulb, the leaves are star-shaped and the flowers are funnel shaped with six petals. The amarilla flower comes in shades of pink, crimson, white and purple and is a popular flower for the holidays. The amarilla plant is easy to force into bloom. They are usually planted in pots and thrive in warmer weather.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Amarilla bulb
• 8-inch-wide pot
• Potting soil
• Garden shovel

1. Plant your amarilla flower bulbs between October and April. The flowers will bloom between December and June.

2. Soak the roots of the bulbs in warm water for two hours.

3. Fill an 8-inch-wide pot with potting soil and place the amarilla bulb into the soil so that the upper half of the bulb protrudes.

4. Place the pot in a warm area away from frost. Add water each time the soil dries out. In six weeks when the shoots appear, transfer the pot to bright light.

5. Enhance the blooming capability of the amarilla flowers by cutting off the old flower once it starts to droop.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are looking for a smaller flowering plant, why not grow miniature amarillas? They are about 5-inches shorter than regular amarillas, but each stem produces four blooms.
• Be careful that you do not damage the fragile roots of the amarilla bulb when planting it in the soil. Be on the lookout for invasive creatures such a grasshoppers and caterpillars. Watch out for a fungus called red blotch which produces red patches on the stem and leaves.