Amaryllis

Commonly known as amaryllis, Hippeastrum are popular flowering houseplants, often given as Christmas gifts. 'Pasadena' is an eye-catching variety with scarlet red blooms that have white flashes on each petal. Before planting, pick off any dead or damaged pieces of root, leaving only healthy, fleshy roots. Make up a compost mix using equal parts of peat and perlite. Half-fill a plastic pot 2.5cm (1in) wider than the bulb with the compost mix and add compost around the roots so that one-third of the bulb shows. Water well and let the soil drain. Never leave pots standing in water. Begin feeding as soon as the shoot appears and continue on a weekly basis until flowering is over. Water plants as required, usually once or twice a week during winter and spring, and more frequently during summer. Mist spray leaves during the summer to increase the humidity around them.