Amaryllis Kits From the Big Box Store: How to Get a Spectacular Bloom (and Keep It Alive Next Year)

The Scenario

A homeowner recently asked:

"2 for 25 at lowes? Why yes please and thankies."

The GardenOwl Diagnosis

The Scenario

You ran into Lowe’s for more soil and mulch (because apparently fruit trees follow you home now), and the impulse buy shelf got you: amaryllis kits. Two for $25, rewards points burning a hole in your pocket, and one of those bulbs is already pushing a big fat flower bud. Dealing with impulsive garden purchases is a common issue that contributes to major landscape design mistakes and can seriously harm your home's curb appeal.

Now it’s on your patio, stalk rocketing up, bud swelling, and you’re wondering:

• How long before this thing actually blooms?
• How do you keep the stalk from leaning and flopping?
• Can you get your money’s worth and make it bloom again next year instead of tossing it?

You’re not alone. These big box amaryllis kits are designed to be “one-and-done holiday decor,” but if you treat them right, they can become a permanent, yearly showpiece.

The Trap: Why Big Box Amaryllis Kits Disappoint People

Here’s the pattern I see all the time:

1. People overwater them. The kits often come with a cheap pot and peat-heavy mix. Peat holds water like a sponge. Folks water like it’s a houseplant, soil stays soggy, the bulb rots, and they decide amaryllis are “finicky.”

2. They grow in dim light. Bulb sends up a tall, weak stalk reaching for light, then leans over, sometimes snaps, and needs a stake and half a roll of twine to stay up.

3. They get treated like disposable decor. After the blooms fade, most people trash the bulb. That’s basically throwing away a perennial that can perform for years.

4. No plan for where it lives later. Especially in yards already collecting fruit trees in pots, the amaryllis ends up shoved into a random corner, shaded out, forgotten, and never reblooms.

None of those are “amaryllis problems.” They’re setup problems.

Let’s fix that.

The Solution (Deep Dive): How to Get a Killer Bloom Now and Again Next Year

1. Right Now: Finish the Bloom Strong

You’ve already done the hard part: the bulb is alive and pushing a flower stalk.

Here’s how to carry it over the finish line.

A. Water: Barely Moist, Not Soggy

Amaryllis bulbs hate wet feet. They are more like onions than typical houseplants.

• Check with a finger. Stick your finger in the soil up to the first knuckle.
  • If it feels bone dry, give it a light watering until water just barely comes out the drainage holes.
  • If it still feels even slightly moist, don’t water yet.
• Dump standing water. Never let the pot sit in a saucer full of water.

If your soil looks like solid peat (very dark, spongy, stays wet for days), ease up even more on watering. Let it dry well between drinks.

B. Light: Keep It Bright and Rotate Daily

That big stalk is going to chase the light. If light is one-sided, you’ll get the classic “leaning tower of amaryllis.”

• Full sun to bright light is great while it’s in bud and growing.
• Rotate the pot a quarter turn every day. This keeps the stalk straight and balanced.
• If it’s outside, a sunny patio or bright porch is ideal as long as temps are mild and you’re not cooking it in a metal pot.

You’re aiming for stout, sturdy growth, not a pale, stretched-out spear.

C. Make the Blooms Last Longer

Once that bud starts to crack and color up, the show is about to start. If you want those flowers to hang around:

• When it’s in full bloom, move it to bright shade or indoors where it still gets good indirect light but no harsh, direct sun.
• Cooler temps and less intense light slow aging, so the flowers last more days.

Think of it like a cut flower you haven’t cut yet: cooler + lower light = longer show.

2. Right After Flowering: Treat It Like a Plant, Not Trash

This is where most people fail. The show is over, they toss the bulb, and complain it didn’t rebloom.

Step 1: Cut the Spent Flower Stalk Only

• When the flowers fade and start to look rough, cut the stalk off near the top of the bulb.
• Do not cut the leaves. The leaves are your solar panels. That’s how the plant refuels the bulb.

Step 2: Give It a Sunny Recovery Spot

Now you’re basically growing a leafy plant with a fat battery underground.

• Move it back to bright sun (outdoor sun if your climate allows, or brightest indoor window).
• Keep doing light but regular watering: soil moist, not soggy.
• Once you see strong leaves, you can start a light fertilizer routine:
  • Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer at half-strength every 2–4 weeks during the growing season.

The goal: reload the bulb so it has the energy to bloom again.

Step 3: Pot & Soil Check (Optional but Smart)

Big box kits often come with:

• Tiny pots
• Heavy, peat-only mixes

If your bulb is crammed in or the soil is staying wet too long, consider repotting after bloom and once new leaves are going strong.

Use:

• A pot just 2–3 inches wider than the bulb.
• A free-draining mix: something like regular potting soil + extra perlite or pine bark.
• Plant with the top third of the bulb above the soil line. Don’t bury it like a potato.

That exposed shoulder helps prevent rot and keeps the bulb happier long-term.

3. Long Game: Year-Round Amaryllis Strategy

Exact details depend on your climate, but the general approach:

1. Spring–Summer:

   • Grow in full sun or bright light.
   • Water when the top inch of soil dries.
   • Feed occasionally so it can bulk up.

2. Late Summer–Fall (if you want timed blooms):

   • Many people give the bulb a rest period: reduce water, let foliage die back, keep it cool and dry for 8–10 weeks.
   • Then repot or wake it up, move to warmth and light to trigger new growth and a new flower cycle.

3. Or, if you don’t care when it blooms:

   • Just keep it as a normal plant in bright light. It may rebloom when it wants, often around the same time each year.

The key: do not starve or drown it after blooming. That’s when you’re either building a stronger bulb or sending it to the compost pile.

Visualizing the Result: Keeping the Patio From Becoming a Jungle

You’ve already admitted the problem: you “can’t stop buying fruit trees,” and now bulbs and pots are joining the party.

I see this a lot:

• A patio starts with one fig tree.
• Then it’s citrus, blueberries, a couple of grapes, and random impulse bulbs from the checkout aisle.
• Suddenly there’s a wall of pots, no walking space, and nothing gets the right sun because everything is shading everything else.

This is where our Exterior Design App earns its keep.

Use it like a safety net before you drag home the next trunk full of plants:

1. Snap a pic of your yard or patio — the actual space where the fruit trees and amaryllis are living.
2. Drop that image into our Exterior Design App.
3. Mock up where each pot lives:
   • Put taller fruit trees where they won’t shade your sun-hungry bulbs.
   • Create actual paths so you can water, harvest, and enjoy the space without tripping.
   • Test ideas: "What if I move the amaryllis cluster nearer the door?" or "What if I group all the citrus along the brightest wall?"

Instead of rearranging fifty-pound pots three times, you drag them around on-screen once and live with the smartest layout. It’s a blueprint so you don’t wake up with a crowded, messy patio jungle you have to redo.