Benefits of Growing Hippeastrums

If a plant only flowers for a short time, the flowers are small and unscented and the foliage unattractive, that plant does not give good value for either the money or the time spent on it.

Other criteria are also important but some of these may only apply to certain geographic locations or to the gardener. For instance, if the garden is situated in an area where water is scarce one criterion for the plants would be drought hardiness. Or if the gardener cannot spend much time in the garden then the plant should be robust and hardy – and not need pruning or constant attention. So what criteria do hippeastrums fill?

Hippeastrums are Easy to Grow

• Hippeastrums may not be for everyone, yet these hardy plants will withstand the driest conditions and still flower. The only effect that dry weather has on the flowers is that the stem will be shorter.
• The flowers are red and pink and often striped with various amounts of white. Some hippeastrums have yellow, white, orange or pale green flowers. While they only appear for a few weeks and they are unscented, they are so big and beautiful that many gardeners love to grow them. They are called trumpets by many people because of their size and resemblance to a rather large trumpet. In Australia, they are almost as much part of the Christmas scene as the native Christmas bush and agapanthus.
• Trumpets are easy to care for. They can be planted on the hottest, driest bank and still perform well. But a little TLC will enhance their growth and ensure those trumpets stand well above the leaves. Hippeastrum flowers can be up to 8 inches across, depending on the species.
• They grow close together because the bulbous roots keep on making little ones, so the hippeastrum patch will become bigger and bigger. This crowds out weeds and provides more plants to swap with others or add to another spot in the garden.
• They have almost no diseases. Hippeastrums do not have to be sprayed with anything that is toxic to the environment – or the gardener.
• They withstand quite a few degrees of frost. While a heavy frost will blacken the leaves, they will shoot up again in the spring. In temperate areas the strap-like leaves remain green all winter and provide useful greenery for indoor flower arrangements all year round.
• Hippeastrums can be grown inside or in pots on the patio. They make an ideal pot plant because they like to be crowded.
• They grow in any kind of soil so long as it is not soggy.

Downsides of Growing Hippeastrums

There are very few downsides to growing hippeastrums – also known as amaryllis. Snails love to take shelter in their cool depths, but sprinkling a little snail bait into the middle of the clump will take care of them.

Hippeastrums will form a solid clump that keeps on growing and may be difficult to dig out for gardeners who are not strong. This can be taken care of by digging out the extra growth each year so that it does not become unmanageable, or planting them in a garden by themselves.

For instance, many gardeners like to plant trumpets along the front fence where they eventually form a thick mass. All that has to be done to them then is to mow around the edges.

Hippeastrums will not grow in boggy soil; the bulb will rot. If grown in pots they should not be watered in the winter.

Most gardeners are delighted with their hippeastrums; they provide beautiful flowers and are so easy to grow. These lovely plants are also known as Barbados lily and St Joseph lily.