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Your amaryllis can have a life beyond its holiday flowers. To encourage another bloom, keep its green leaves growing after flowering, provide light and regular care, and allow time for the bulb to rebuild its reserves. An optional rest period can help you plan when it flowers again.
This guide focuses on rooted, unwaxed holiday amaryllis, commonly known botanically as Hippeastrum. Waxed gifts need different expectations, which we explain below. For a newly received plant, start with our All About Amaryllis guide.
Fading flowers mark the start of an important growing phase. The leaves help replenish the energy used during flowering.
Do not stop watering simply because the flowers have finished. Keep caring for the green leaves so they can replenish the bulb's energy for future flowers.
Give the plant several months to grow before planning another flowering cycle. Keep it in a sunny window, or move the pot outdoors once frost danger has passed. Start in shade or filtered light and introduce more sun gradually.
Continue watering and feeding while the leaves grow. A container makes it easy to move the plant back indoors before frost. You can also sink the pot into a garden bed for summer, avoiding the need to dig up its roots later.
Not every year. When repotting is needed, choose a drainage-hole container only slightly wider than the bulb. Use fresh, well-draining potting mix and leave the upper third to half of the bulb exposed. After a rest period is a convenient time to repot.
Amaryllis can flower again without a deliberately imposed dormancy. A planned rest can help control timing, but it cannot replace good growing-season care.
After months of healthy growth, move the pot to a dry, dark, frost-free place around 50-55°F. Stop watering and feeding, and let the leaves dry naturally before removing them. Plan on approximately 8-12 weeks of rest. Check periodically; if new growth appears sooner, return the plant to light.
To restart a rested bulb, move it to a warm, sunny location and water the mix, allowing it to drain. Avoid repeated watering while the soil is still moist. Resume active-growth care as shoots develop.
Count backward from your preferred flowering date, allowing both a rest period and time for flowers to develop. One approach allows 10-12 weeks of rest followed by roughly 4-6 weeks for flowers to develop. Individual bulbs may take longer.
| Stage | Approximate timing | Your task |
|---|---|---|
| Rebuild reserves | After flowering through summer | Maintain healthy leaves with light, water, and fertilizer. |
| Begin planned rest | Late August to early September | Choose a cool, dry location and stop watering. |
| Restart growth | Mid-November | Return to warmth and light and resume watering carefully. |
| Watch for flowers | December into early January | Allow for differences in variety and growing conditions. |
This is a planning example, not a Christmas Day guarantee. A bulb that has not recovered sufficiently may need more growing time.
Your climate determines whether the bulb can stay outside; it does not set an indoor plant's bloom date. In cold regions, use containers and bring them indoors before frost.
In suitable warm climates, amaryllis can grow permanently in garden beds. Landscape amaryllis can be grown in USDA zones 8-11, with partial sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. Suitability still depends on the variety and local conditions, especially in colder parts of that range. If you are unsure of your bulb's cold tolerance, keep it in a container and bring it indoors before frost.
Landscape amaryllis typically flowers in spring. Use a container if you want greater control over a rest period and indoor holiday display.
Check light, drainage and the length of the growing period before assuming the plant needs more fertilizer. Extra feeding cannot make up for leaves removed too early or insufficient growing time.
Waxed bulbs use stored moisture and energy to flower without soil or watering. Jackson & Perkins waxed amaryllis gifts are intended as single-use decorative gifts; see our waxed amaryllis care guide.
Some gardeners try saving waxed bulbs after flowering. Recovery is sometimes possible, but not assured. Carefully remove the wax and support wire, inspect for damage or decay, and pot only a healthy, firm bulb. Do not keep a rotting bulb. A surviving plant may need another growing season before it can flower.
For a gift you hope to keep growing over several years, choose a rooted, potted amaryllis. Our amaryllis gift guide compares potted and waxed options.
No. Keep healthy green leaves so the bulb can replenish its reserves. Remove foliage only after it has yellowed and dried.
Stop when beginning a planned rest period after months of active growth. Continue watering a leafy plant after its flowers fade.
A dark location is useful for a planned rest, but amaryllis can rebloom without this treatment. Keeping it healthy between flowering cycles is essential.
Allow roughly 4-6 weeks after restarting growth, with variation by bulb and conditions. The preceding rest period adds several more weeks to the schedule.
Move it back to a sunny location and resume care. Follow the plant's growth rather than keeping it in darkness to meet a calendar date.
It is sometimes possible, but J&P waxed gifts are intended for a single display cycle. Removing the wax and potting a healthy bulb is an experiment, with no assurance of another bloom.
Save the plant label so you know the variety, and note when your bulb rests, sprouts, and flowers. Those observations can help you adjust next year's schedule. To add another color or share a living gift, choose a potted amaryllis for ongoing care.
Sources for outdoor hardiness and waxed-bulb recovery: UF/IFAS landscape amaryllis profile and Iowa State Extension's waxed amaryllis guidance.
