Amaryllis 'Picotee'

Where to Plant:

This is an exceptionally elegant indoor bulb, celebrated for its crisp, pure white flowers, with each petal delicately outlined by a fine, pencil-thin red margin. It must be grown in a pot indoors. Choose a container that is only a few centimetres wider than the bulb, as they flower most prolifically when their roots are slightly confined. To stimulate growth, place the pot in a warm room on a bright windowsill, but move it out of harsh, direct sun once the flowers open to make them last longer.

How to Plant:

For blooms in winter, plant the bulb in the autumn. Using a good quality, well-drained potting compost, place the bulb in the pot so that its top third remains exposed above the soil. Firm the compost around the bulb and give it one thorough watering. Afterwards, do not water it again until you see the first clear sign of a new green shoot emerging from the top. Watering before this point can cause the dormant bulb to rot.

Aftercare:

Once a shoot appears, begin watering regularly, allowing the top of the compost to become dry to the touch between waterings. Feed every two weeks with a balanced houseplant fertiliser. After the flowers fade, cut the spent stalk down, but allow the long leaves to grow on. Continue to water and feed through the summer. In early autumn, stop watering and move the pot to a cool, dark place for 8-10 weeks to induce dormancy. To reawaken, bring it into the light and water once.