Amaryllis are one of the most popular flowers you’ll find around the holidays but most people think of them only as a potted bulb plant; Amaryllis are so much more than that! They are also beautiful as a cut flower and come in a wide range of colours.

Fresh cut amaryllis are not difficult to care for and a few stems simply arranged in a vase creates an easy and stunning decoration. Below you will find our fresh cut amaryllis care and handling tips so you can maximize your enjoyment of these gorgeous flowers:

Amaryllis arrive in bud form
The beauty of fresh cut amaryllis is that you don’t have to wait for the plant to grow a bloom! Fresh cut amaryllis are shipped in bud form so you get to see the magic of the blooming process which typically only takes a few days.

They’ll arrive carefully wrapped and don’t be alarmed if you see a little splitting of the stems. Amaryllis have hollow stems and so some splitting is normal.

Quickly cut and place the amaryllis in water
Amaryllis stems can be quite large and difficult to trim with floral shears, so we recommend using a sharp knife to cut the stems at a diagonal. Avoid using a dull knife as it can crush, rather than cut the stems.

You’ll want to cut enough of the stem off so that the amaryllis are supported in the vase you plan to use. A good rule of thumb is the vase should be at least two-thirds the height of your cut stem. Since amaryllis stems can be quite long, you may need to cut as much as 8” to 10” or more if you’re using a shorter vase.

As soon as you cut the amaryllis, immediately place the stem in at least 4” to 5” of clean water. A lukewarm temperature is great for the initial hydration, but room temperature is also fine.

Allow amaryllis to bloom in the right spot
For the best vase life, you’ll want to put your vase of amaryllis in a cool spot that is away from direct sunlight and any heating vents or electrical appliances that get warm (e.g., not near the TV).

Amaryllis varieties can vary in bloom rate, so you may seem some blooms start to open within an hour, whereas others may take a couple days. Note that blooms on a single stems also typically open at different rates and that helps prolong your enjoyment of the flowers! Just trim off older blooms as they start to wither so that you make room for new blooms to shine!

It’s normal to see stems curl
As amaryllis hydrate and mature, the stems may start to split and curl up from the bottom. If you regularly cut and change the water every 2-3 days, this will help minimize the splitting and curling. This will affect the vase life of your amaryllis and that’s why we recommend a regular cut and change of water!

Getting amaryllis to open faster
If you need your amaryllis blooms to open faster, cut the stems down as short as possible for your needs (shorter stem means less distance for water to travel up to the bloom). Place the flowers in lukewarm water in a bright spot (but not in direct sunlight).

Avoid a pollen mess
As an amaryllis bloom opens, you’ll see stamens that will have anthers covered in pollen, much like lilies. The pollen from amaryllis do not stain as badly as lilies, but to avoid a mess, just gently pluck off the yellow anthers and problem averted!

Hopefully you found our handling tips to be of use, and if you would like to subscribe you can do so here