Amaryllis, Clivia and Miniature Orange Trees

Amaryllis

The amaryllis is a tender bulb that produces huge, showy, trumpet-like flowers. You can buy one already potted or save money and have some fun by planting the bulb yourself. If you do the planting yourself, purchase large, firm bulbs. Use a light, well-drained potting mix and a pot about 3 – 4 inches bigger than the bulb, with good drainage. Leave at least 1 inch between the rim of the pot and the soil and plant the bulb so that about one third shows above the soil level.

Place your amaryllis in a warm, sunny room. Water whenever the soil is dry to the touch and fertilize once each month. When the flower buds are ready to open (usually in 6 to 8 weeks), you can move the pot to a different location. Cooler temperatures and less direct light will prolong flowering.

Many people like to treat the amaryllis as a short-lived plant, enjoying it while in flower and then discarding it. However, if you have the space, the amaryllis makes a lovely houseplant and is relatively easy to bring back into bloom next year.

The secret to keeping the amaryllis from year to year is to promote active growth after it has finished blooming. The plant invests all its energy to produce flowers. After blooming, it needs plenty of water, fertilizer and sun to allow its leaves to produce food and replenish the bulb’s food supply.  Pinch off the flower stalks once the blooms have passed and move the plant to a sunny window.  Water the plant as needed to keep the soil moist and feed regularly with a balanced fertilizer to promote growth.

In the summer move the amaryllis outside to a semi-shaded location. The more leaves the plant grows, the more flower stalks it will be able to produce next year. Continue to water and fertilize regularly. The foliage will begin to yellow and die back somewhere around late August – the exact time will vary. This signals the beginning of the plant's dormant stage. Bring it indoors in September when the leaves have died and stop watering and fertilizing.  Store the bulb, in its pot, in a dark cool spot such as a basement. In about two months, new growth will appear. Bring the plant back into a warm, sunny room and begin to water and fertilize as before. With a bit of luck, you will have beautiful flowers in 6 to 8 weeks.

Amaryllis like to be somewhat root bound. It may not bloom if its roots are disturbed so don't repot unless the bulb looks really crowded. Repotting once every three or four years is usually enough.  Offsets of the bulbs can be removed and potted but they may take several years to produce flowers.

The Clivia

            The clivia, a native of South Africa, is in the same family as the amaryllis and has dark green, strap-shaped leaves that look like those of the amaryllis. Unlike the amaryllis, the clivia retains its leaves year-round and while many people will discard the amaryllis after it flowers, the clivia is a plant that will last a lifetime. In the northeast, clivias are grown as houseplants or as container plants that are brought indoors for the winter. They will bloom anytime from mid-winter to spring with large clusters of orange or yellow flowers.

Clivias are fairly easy to care for. In the winter, keep them in a location with bright light, but not direct sun. Water to keep the soil moist and fertilize once per month.  After the plant blooms, it will go into a rest period and will require little water and no fertilizer. When growth resumes, increase water and begin to fertilize again. Once all danger of frost is over, the plant can be moved outdoors to a shady location - direct sunlight may scorch the leaves.  In autumn, bring the clivia back indoors and keep in a cool location. The plant will enter a second resting period, again requiring little water and no fertilizer. Following this second resting stage, the clivia will once more enter its flowering stage. When you see the flower stems appear, it's time to increase watering and apply light fertilizer.

Clivias have a devoted following among horticulturists. They can be quite expensive: around $50 for an orange clivia and $100 and up for the more unusual yellow clivias. They also can be hard to find, but your local florist may be able to order one for you or you may be able to find one on the web. If you do order from the web, make sure you buy from a company in the US to avoid problems associated with importation of plants.

Miniature Orange Trees

Another plant that is fun to grow indoors is a miniature orange tree. In the northern US, the miniature orange is grown as a houseplant. It has dark green, glossy leaves and lovely fragrant flowers that will fill your house with scent. Best of all, grown under the right conditions, the plant will produce bright orange, showy fruit that will remain on the branches for many months. The colorful fruit is edible but very bitter to eat out-of-hand. The oranges make a great marmalade or they can be preserved in syrup.

To thrive as a houseplant, the orange tree needs lots of light – at least 4 hours of full sunshine and as bright a spot as you can find. A west or south-facing window is ideal. If your home is dark, you can supplement natural light with a plant light. In the winter, water the citrus when the soil begins to feel dry to the touch. In the summer, move the plant outdoors to a sunny location. Water more frequently, keeping the soil evenly moist and fertilize every 2 weeks when it is actively growing.