White amaryllis

White amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is a tender bulb grown for large, trumpet-shaped white blooms on tall stalks. Plant a firm bulb in a pot only 1 to 2 inches wider than the bulb. Leave the top third to half of the bulb above the soil. Give it a bright window with at least 4 hours of direct sun, water when the soil surface feels dry, and expect flowers in about 4 to 8 weeks. After bloom, keep the leaves growing so the bulb can store energy for next year.

Buy the biggest firm bulb you can find if you want more stalks and larger flowers. Use a heavy pot with drainage holes so the plant does not tip once the blooms open. Skip garden soil. Use a well-drained potting mix.

What white amaryllis is

The plant sold as amaryllis in garden centers is Hippeastrum, not the true amaryllis of South Africa. Clemson Extension notes that Hippeastrum is native to South and Central America and the Caribbean. Breeders in the Netherlands, South Africa, and elsewhere raise the large hybrid bulbs you buy in fall kits.

White cultivars have pure white tepals, or white blooms with a green throat, a soft pink blush, or a thin colored edge. Each stalk holds two to six flowers. A larger bulb (about 30 centimeters or more in circumference) can send up more than one stalk. Blooms often last about two weeks each when the plant sits in cool indoor air away from heater vents.

Gardeners grow white amaryllis for holiday tables, winter windowsills, and cut flowers. The same bulb can bloom again if you keep the leaves healthy after the flowers fade. Outdoors, Hippeastrum is hardy about USDA zones 8 to 10. In colder zones, keep it as a houseplant or sink the pot outside for summer only.

Popular white amaryllis cultivars

Pure white picks often sold for the holidays include ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Christmas Gift’. Both open clean white blooms that read bright against evergreen boughs and red berries. Clemson Extension shows ‘White Christmas’ with pure white petals and a light green throat.

‘Picotee’ is white with a fine red edge on each tepal. It still reads as a white flower from across the room, with a thin line of color at the tips. If you want soft pink on white, look at Apple Blossom amaryllis. For a classic deep red contrast next to white blooms, see Red Lion amaryllis.

Pick a cultivar by flower form as well as color. Large single trumpets are the common holiday look. Doubles hold more petals. Miniature types stay shorter and often carry more flowers per stalk. Buy labeled bulbs from a seller that lists the cultivar name so you know what color will open.

How to plant white amaryllis bulbs

Choose a pot 1 to 2 inches wider than the bulb at its widest point. Amaryllis blooms better when a bit rootbound. Clay, ceramic, or resin pots work. Drainage holes are required. A heavy base helps once tall stalks and flowers make the pot top-heavy.

Fill the pot with a well-drained potting mix. Equal parts peat and perlite works well. Moisten the mix before you plant so it settles around the roots. Set the bulb pointed end up. Pack the mix so one-third to one-half of the bulb sits above the soil line. Leaving the nose dry helps limit red blotch, a fungal problem that shows as reddish spots on leaves and stalks.

Water once until water runs out the drainage holes. Empty the saucer. Wait about a week before the next watering. Then keep the mix barely moist until strong growth shows. Plant from October through January for winter bloom. Flowers usually open 4 to 8 weeks after planting when you start in early to mid-November.

Light, temperature, and watering

Give the pot a bright spot with at least 4 hours of direct sun each day. A south window is best. East or west windows work next. Rotate the pot every few days so the stalk grows straight instead of leaning toward the light.

Keep the plant around 70°F to 75°F (21°C to 24°C) while roots form and growth starts. Once flowers open, move it to cooler air near 65°F (18°C) if you can. Cooler rooms slow the bloom fade. Keep the pot away from heater vents and cold drafts.

Water when the soil surface feels dry to the touch. Do not leave the pot sitting in water. Once flowering starts, you may water one to two times a week, still draining the saucer each time. Overwatering is the usual cause of bulb and root rot.

Fertilizing and care while it grows

Do not fertilize a bulb with no leaves. Fertilizer on bare roots can burn them. Once leaves grow, feed with a liquid houseplant fertilizer diluted per the label. Clemson Extension recommends fertilizing twice a month during active growth. Wisconsin Extension suggests a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-10 or 10-10-10 at houseplant rates once a month. Follow the product label and do not stack extra feedings.

Stake a heavy flower stalk if it starts to bend. If a stalk leans too far, cut it and put it in a vase. The flowers will finish opening off the plant. Remove each bloom as it fades so the plant does not put energy into seed. When the whole stalk yellows, cut it a few inches above the neck of the bulb. Leave the strap-like leaves in place.

Watch for red blotch (reddish spots on leaves and stalks), mealybugs, and mites. Discard soft, moldy bulbs. Clemson notes that all parts of amaryllis are poisonous to people and pets if eaten in large amounts, and the bulb is the most toxic part. Keep bulbs and cut stalks away from curious pets and small children.

What to do after white amaryllis blooms

After the flowers fade, the leaves become the main job. They feed the bulb for next year’s buds. Keep the plant in bright light. Water when the surface dries. Keep up the fertilizer schedule while leaves stay green and growing.

Once frost danger passes, move the pot outdoors for summer. Start it in shade for a few days, then give it more sun. You can sink the whole pot in the ground. Digging the bulb out of garden soil later risks breaking brittle roots, so many gardeners keep it in its pot.

For more winter and holiday plant ideas, see my roundup of 21 Christmas plants. For other bulbs that start in cool weather, browse bulbs to plant in fall.

How to get white amaryllis to rebloom

Amaryllis needs a rest before the next bloom cycle. In late summer or early fall, stop watering and fertilizing for 8 to 10 weeks. Leaves yellow and dry. Store the pot in a cool, dark place around 45°F to 55°F (7°C to 13°C). Remove dry leaves once they shrivel.

When a new bud tip shows, or when you are ready to force bloom in late October or November, bring the pot into light and start watering again. Fresh growth and flowers usually follow in 4 to 6 weeks after the rest ends. Repot only after dormancy, and only when the bulb has outgrown the pot.

Commercial bulbs sometimes bloom without a forced rest if you keep them evergreen. A planned cool, dry rest gives you more control over timing for the holidays.

White amaryllis flower meaning

Gardeners give potted white amaryllis as winter gifts because the plant lasts longer than a cut bouquet and can bloom again with simple care. Pair white cultivars with red ones on a table if you want contrast without mixing other flower types.