Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) Now is the Time to Locate Bulbs Before the Winter Weather Sets In

Every fall one of my projects is to bring my amaryllis bulb from outside and move it to the dark cool basement to allow the bulb to rest and then bloom again in the winter time. The reason that I am writing about the amaryllis bulb is that this is really the time to order these great bulbs so you can begin the process of preparing the bulbs for your winter enjoyment.

Now, I am going to add a bit of confusion about the name.

Most garden centers and bulb companies sell bulbs which they label amaryllis which are actually Hippeastrum bulbs with are in the Amarylliddacea family. So, technically the most desirable bulbs most gardeners are looking for because they can be forced indoors are Hippeastrum.

Hippeastrum are native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Argentina, Mexico and the Caribbean. As with the most of the other available bulbs, the first commercial breeders of Hippeastrum were Dutch growers beginning in the 18^th century. And though the Dutch continue to be large producers of Hippeastrum, South African produces quite a few new bulbs and Japanese growers have developed double flower Hippeastrum.

The true Amaryllis is also known as the Belladonna Lily, which is native to the rocky regions of the South American Cape and they can also be purchased through some bulb catalogs.

Now is the time to purchase Hippeastrum bulbs which are sold as Amaryllis bulbs by most garden centers or bulb companies. Fortunately, many growers market the bulbs as Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) which can help assure the consumer that they are purchasing the correct bulb for indoor forcing. I like that way of labeling and will do so in all future writings.
　　
The best time to start selecting the Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) bulbs is now!

You will have the greatest selection of bulbs either already planted in a soil medium or sold bare rooted (without soil). If you are buying on line over the internet or from mail order catalogs, the bulbs can only be shipped when the temperatures are not freezing.

In my previous life when I worked at a garden center, I would recommend the bare rooted bulbs because you were able to obtain larger bulbs, which I could say with great confidence, would be guaranteed to bloom.