Illustration
Amaryllis
Hippeastrum
Amaryllis blooms from March through April.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Amaryllis
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 8–10. Expect it to reach about 20 in tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (checked).
What was checked
Fifteen fields were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it, with every unsettled point written down and decided: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, soil, diseases, pests, toxicity, the plant's own names, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Amaryllis
Amaryllis is a tender bulb, hardy in the ground only in zones 8 to 10: there it goes in during the cool season, typically November or December in zone 9, ahead of its March to April bloom. Colder than zone 8 it will not survive winter in the ground, so grow it in a pot that comes indoors before frost, or plant it out in spring for one season.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 9, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 9 in November. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Amaryllis get?
20 intall5 ft 7 inan adult12 inwideSee Amaryllis in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Where these facts come from
Amaryllis' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 18 published sources on August 23, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, pests and toxicity
- University of Florida IFASEDIS FP255, Hippeastrum x hybridumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil and diseases
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- University of Florida IFASUF/IFAS Extension (Ask IFAS, Circular 1243 / EP060)sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, soil, diseases and pests
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureWisconsin Horticultureheight, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- Iowa State University ExtensionYard and Gardenheight, sun, bloom months and color, years to mature size, diseases and toxicity
- University of Minnesota Extensionheight, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, diseases and pests
- lsuagcenter.comLSU AgCenterhardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and pests
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Centerheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- University of Georgia ExtensionUniversity of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Bulletin 918hardiness zones and bloom months and color
- Brent and Becky's Bulbsheight and hardiness zones
- Chicago Botanic GardenHippeastrum papiliohardiness zones and sun
- pacificbulbsociety.orgPacific Bulb Society wiki (Hippeastrum calyptratum)sun and trait tags
- University of Georgia ExtensionBulletin B918, Flowering Bulbs for Georgia Gardensheight and hardiness zones
- University of Maryland Extensionheight and sun
- University of Minnesota Extensionheight and sun
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Profiles: Amaryllissun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 7 varieties across 4 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Amaryllis group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amaryllisthis page | Red | Mar–Apr | Zones 8–10 | Part sun | 20 in × 12 in |
| Apple Blossom | White | Mar–Apr | Zones 8–11 | Part sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Christmas Gift | White | Mar–Apr | Zones 8–11 | Part sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Minerva | Red | Mar–Apr | Zones 8–11 | Part sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Orange Sovereign | Orange | Mar–Apr | Zones 8–11 | Part sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Picotee | White | Mar–Apr | Zones 8–10 | Part sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Red Lion | Red | Mar–Apr | Zones 8–11 | Part sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Rilona | Orange | Mar–Apr | Zones 8–11 | Part sun | 20 in × 8 in |
Good to know about Amaryllis
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Toxic to dogs, cats, horses and people; all parts are poisonous, the bulb most of all. The toxins are lycorine and related alkaloids. Eating it brings vomiting and drooling. per ASPCA
Worth knowing
The holiday 'amaryllis' is really Hippeastrum, from Central and South America, not the true South African genus Amaryllis (the belladonna lily). Gift labels almost always call it amaryllis anyway. per NC State
How deep to plant
In a pot, leave the top one-third to one-half of the bulb above the soil so the neck cannot rot. Planted in mild-zone ground, set it deeper, barely covered. per Clemson
Forced for holiday bloom
Pot the bulb in fall and it flowers in 4 to 8 weeks, which is how growers time it to the December holidays. per Clemson
Why it won't rebloom
The usual reason a bulb never blooms again is too little light, not feeding tricks. Bright light plus a cool dormant rest are the two levers that matter. per University of Minnesota
Rot is an overwatering problem
Bulb and root rot is almost always overwatering, not a caught infection. A well-drained mix and letting the soil dry between waterings prevent the rot that kills the bulb. per NC State
Bulb is toxic and exposed
The bulb is the most poisonous part, and the usual potting method leaves it half out of the soil, so keep it well out of reach of pets and children. per ASPCA
What pairs well with Amaryllis
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
False Indigo
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Agave
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Pampas Grass
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 8 ft, for the layer behind it.
Sweet William
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; pink sits close to red on the wheel; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Japanese Forest Grass
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Gardenia
Shares part sun and moderate to high water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it.
Autumn Fern
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Feather Reed Grass
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 5 ft, for the layer behind it; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
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