My whole life, during the wintertime when the holidays would arrive, I always visited my plant-loving dad. Oftentimes amaryllis bulbs would be stocked on his plant stand ready and waiting to be gifted to loved ones, and he would insist that I take one home. As a professed brown thumb, I would tell him that I would likely kill the plant before I even got it home. If he didn’t want it to die, he should keep it for himself and enjoy the bloom that only a green thumb could nurture. He would argue back, assuring me that the flower would bloom, I would not kill it, and that the plant needed little to no care.
His directions were simple: Sit it near a kitchen windowsill, be patient, and wait for a beautiful bloom to emerge. So, off I would go with my new amaryllis, and always, he was right. After some time, the flower would bloom, and most of the time, it was a bright, deep red blooming flower, and many times more than one bloom would emerge. It was a lovely holiday gift that kept on giving throughout the bleakness of winter.
It’s a sweet memory I have of my dad, who loved beautiful flowers — he once drove all over the state of Alabama looking for a specific rare yellow rosebush to plant in memory of his mother, my grandmother — and wanted to share his love for plants and flowers. Last year, after losing him earlier in the year, I thought of my dad each time I saw amaryllis bulbs for sale during the holidays.
It dawned on me that it truly was a perfect gift idea, and that I could give them to loved ones, too, so I purchased a wax-dipped bulb for each of my sisters and my niece. Like me, they were skeptical anything live would ever emerge from the wax bulb. After the holidays, we started a text group chat devoted solely to growth updates on the amaryllises. My older sister’s bloomed white, my younger sister’s bloomed pink, but my niece lamented hers would not bloom. “Just be patient, and it will bloom,” I assured her.
Finally, in mid-March, she sent an excited message and photo of a beautiful deep-red bloom. It was a fun and special way to remember my dad, try our hands at growing something, and marvel at the beauty of nature throughout the drab winter season.
This year, I spotted a set of three lovely waxed dipped amaryllis plants at Costco (for an astonishing $21.99). After they were such a hit last year, I knew I had to snag a set to gift again and continue the tradition, but this time, I vowed to keep one for myself to sit in my kitchen windowsill. It truly is a living decor gift that keeps on giving all winter long — if you can be patient, of course — with an exquisite bright bloom. And if you’re really patient, it might just bear more than one bloom, and if you’re really lucky, a second bloom after the first.
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If you’re not a Costco member or they’re sold-out by the time you get there, Amazon has you covered with all your amaryllis gift-giving needs — this red wax-dipped amaryllis bulb is stunning, and Santa’s elves can deliver it straight to your doorstep! You can also check your local Trader Joe’s to see if they’ve stocked up on this special “living ornament.”
Just remember that patience is essential with these flowers during wintertime and beyond. Sit the bulb in a windowsill and give it some time for the beautiful bloom to appear (and let your giftees know the same).
Buy: Costa Farms Amaryllis Bulb, $19.99