Plant and care for amaryllis and tazette daffodils

Anyone who gardens knows the melancholy that settles on the soul with the first frost: so many months must now be survived! As a healing remedy against dreary winter days, I have discovered so-called indoor bulbs for myself in recent years. Amaryllis and tazette daffodils can be planted indoors and bring many weeks of flowering joy. They look much more natural than some bouquets and are easier to handle than most indoor plants.

Amaryllis – the best time for planting

The bulbs need about 6 weeks to flower, so plant ahead:

Beginning of mid-October – flowering in Advent

Planting time early/mid-November – flowering at Christmas

Planting time December/January – flowering in late winter/early spring

Personally, I plant a few amaryllis right in October for Advent and then a few more after Christmas. This is the way they accompany me until the gardening season starts.

It is also a fantastic idea to plant amaryllis in autumn and give them in a pot as a Christmas gift. But the bulbs also make a great gift in a jute bag.

Plant amaryllis

1. Choose a low humus substrate (e.g. potting soil mixed with sand) and fill it into a flower pot on top of a layer of clay granules.
2. Now place the bulbs in the centre with the point facing upwards and fill the substrate until the bulb is half covered. Press the substrate very firmly so that the bulb does not fall over later.
3. Water the soil and keep it slightly moist. Important: Water drainage is crucial, otherwise the bulb may rot!
4. Place the amaryllis on a bright (not sunny!) window sill, soon it will start to grow! 

Alternatively, the bulb can also be grown in a special vase with only water. However, the water should only cover the roots, not the bulb, which would otherwise rot.

After flowering, the plant can remain in a warm place (in summer also outside). It then needs an eight-week rest period at 15 degrees in autumn to flower again (again in a warmer place). However, this is only sometimes successful, as a second flush of flowers depends on many factors. I also think it is perfectly fine to treat the amaryllis as an annual flower.

Plant tazette daffodils

Tazette daffodils are also an amaryllis and are planted in almost the same way. They need 4-6 weeks to flower and can also be planted in a humus-poor substrate. If you want them to sprout in water, stones or clay balls are needed here. The bulbs must be placed closely to another. There is no special vase as with the amaryllis and the bulbs must not fall over (later they can be kept in shape with a few small twigs).

I usually put the tazette daffodils in a cooler place in the stairwell and then move them to a warm, bright place after two weeks. For both species, however, full sunshine shortens the flowering time, as it does for all plants.

Lasting flowering pleasure: the ultimate tip!

Here’s a great tip for indoor bulb professionals: If you have a cool, frost-free cellar, you can also plant all the bulbs at once and then gradually bring the pots into the warm. Of course, this is a demanding task in the beginning, but you will be rewarded with up to four months of flowering indoors!