How to grow Hippeastrum for Christmas

For many gardeners, they are an essential part of the annual Christmas ritual, but while we’ve come to think of them as Christmas plants, these bulbs are naturally inclined towards flowering in spring. Consequently, the bulbs that appear on sale in garden centres and supermarkets from late autumn have been specially forced so they will flower earlier.

Still, for a welcome burst of midwinter indoor colour, Hippeastrum are hard to resist. “Nothing beats them for impact and beauty,” says George Clowes of bulb supplier de Jager. “And they are the epitome of Christmas – far more so than poinsettia, although as a bulb man, I would say that.”

And they are not just for Christmas. Well cared for after flowering, these perennial bulbs can produce their fantastic flowers year after year, albeit in spring rather than Christmas.

How to grow Hippaestrum

1. Choose firm bulbs without rot or mould. Pot them up in October if you want the bulbs to flower for Christmas, or between October and January if not. Plant bulbs so they are half visible above the surface of an ordinary multi-purpose potting compost.
2. Water the bulb in after planting. From then, until the first signs of growth appear, water very sparingly.
3. Place the potted bulb in a warm spot in the house in indirect sunlight. A flower spike should start to emerge, and it is a good idea to stake this early on.
4. When growth appears, move the bulb to a cooler position and water regularly. Turn the pot regularly, also, to prevent the flower stalk leaning towards the light.
5. When the bulb reaches full bloom, in around eight weeks from planting, feed it weekly with a high-potash liquid feed. Carry on feeding until the leaves die down.
6. The period straight after flowering is the most important time in the life cycle of Hippeastrum. Continue to water and feed so your bulb builds sufficient nutrients for flowers next year.
7. When the flower has faded, cut it off, leaving the stalk in place until it yellows. It will supply the bulb with nutrients as it dies back.
8. Once the leaves start to yellow, stop feeding and watering. They will die back, at which point they can be removed. Leave the bulb in its original container and put it somewhere cool, dry and dark until autumn, when you can water and start back into growth.
9. Sometimes, the leaves don’t die back naturally. If they still haven’t by autumn, cut them off to about 10cm above the top of the bulb. This will encourage flowering.

Which Hippeastrum variety is right for me?

Resolutely not up for debate is how impactful and eye-catching Hippeastrum flowers are. If it is the trademark festive red flowers you seek, try ‘Carmen’, a deep, rich crimson, ‘Royal Velvet’, a lovely dark red, or ‘Liberty’, a phone-box scarlet.

There are plenty of other colours to explore, though, including magenta ‘Hercules’ – not for the faint hearted – or the peach and apricot combination of ‘Rilona’.

Fresh apple-greens might be a better choice if subtler flowers are preferred. ‘Lemon Star’ – actually a very pale limey-green with a darker green throat – is beautiful, as is ‘Alfresco’, a double-flowered white Hippeastrum, with a touch of green in the throat. “This is a particularly refined variety, with frilly flowers, and it produces up to four or five flowers per stem,” George says.

Another of George’s favourites, ‘Apple Blossom’, boasts beautiful light pink flowers with a contrasting lime-green throat.

Striped species such as H. papilio – a striking combination of lime and maroon – two-tone varieties such as crimson and white ‘Santiago’ and picotee flowers bring more diversity to the range. Choose a colour, pot up the bulb and look forward to an incredible display.