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OrnamentalbulbousSome care needed

Hippeastrum

Hippeastrum hybrids

The enormous winter-flowering bulb sold in a box for Christmas, and almost always thrown away afterwards — which is a waste, because it is a long-lived plant that will flower every year given a summer outdoors and a dry autumn rest. It is a true bulb and it is not remotely hardy.

Position
Bright, out of direct sun
Water
low demand
Drainage
Free-draining
Grows to
40–70 cm × 25–35 cm
Hardiness
H1B
Harvest
August and September
Difficulty
Some care needed

August

Harvest

Hippeastrum’s year

Resolved for United Kingdom (general). Every window is stored against a climate event rather than a date, so a late frost pocket runs later than the band shows. What else August calls for.

ActivityJFMAMJJASOND
PlantOctober. November. December.
In flowerJanuary. February. March. December.
HarvestAugust. September.

Names that cause confusion

amaryllis — The big bulb sold in a box at Christmas is a Hippeastrum, not an Amaryllis. True Amaryllis belladonna is a different genus, hardy outdoors in a warm spot, and flowers on bare stems in autumn.

Timing that travels

The band above resolves this plant's windows into months for one region. These are the windows themselves, stored against a climate event rather than a date — which is the form that survives being carried to a colder garden, a frost pocket, or next year.

Conditions it needs

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Frost
Frost tender
Hardiness rating
H1b (RHS)
Grows best at
15–26 °C
Soil
Peat-free compost, Loam
Soil pH
6–7
Drainage
Free-draining
Water needs
low
Drought
moderate tolerance
Waterlogging
poor tolerance
Heat
good tolerance
Wind and exposure
poor tolerance
Where these figures come from
LightSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — position

Checked 2026-08-13

FrostSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — hardiness

Checked 2026-08-13

Hardiness ratingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: RHS hardiness ratings

Checked 2026-08-13

Grows best atSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — temperature

Checked 2026-08-13

SoilSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Soil pHSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Hippeastrum — culture

Checked 2026-08-13

DrainageSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Water needsHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

DroughtHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

WaterloggingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

The bulb rots if the neck is buried or kept wet.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

HeatHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Wind and exposureHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

On your soil

Computed by comparing this plant's recorded requirements against each soil's recorded characteristics. A recorded horticultural fact overrides the comparison where GrowingHQ holds one.

SoilVerdictWhy
Heavy clayWorks, with one conditionHippeastrum will crop on heavy clay, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
SandyGrows well hereHippeastrum grows perfectly well on sandy without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Chalky and alkalineWorks, with one conditionHippeastrum will crop on chalky and alkaline, but one thing has to be dealt with first. The soil is substantially too alkaline for it: it wants pH 6 to 7, and this soil sits around 7.8 to 8.5.The pH is the obstacle. Small shifts are achievable and slow; large ones are not. On chalky and alkaline the dependable answer is a container of the right compost rather than an attempt to change the ground.
LoamPrefers this soilLoam suits Hippeastrum as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering.
SiltyPrefers this soilSilty suits Hippeastrum as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering.
Peaty and acidWorks, with one conditionHippeastrum will crop on peaty and acid, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
Shallow over rockPrefers this soilShallow over rock suits Hippeastrum as it stands: The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting.
Made ground and urban soilWorks, with one conditionHippeastrum will crop on made ground and urban soil, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.

Not sure which you have? Four hand tests will settle it.

Space and spacing

Mature height
40–70 cm
Mature spread
25–35 cm
Rooting depth
20 cm
Spacing
25–30 cm apart
Where these figures come from
Mature heightHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Mature spreadHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Rooting depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

SpacingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — spacing

Checked 2026-08-13

How far apart to plant hippeastrumThree hippeastrum plants drawn in a row at their recorded spacing of 25–30 cm between plants. The spacing is drawn to scale against a one metre rule; the plants themselves are symbols rather than scale drawings, so the distance between them is the part to read.25–30 cm
Measured centre to centre. Plants set closer than this compete for light and water long before they look crowded, and the crowding cannot be undone once they are in.

In a container

Minimum volume
2 litres or more
Minimum depth
20 cm
Where the container figures come from
Minimum volumeHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — cultivation

Checked 2026-08-13

Minimum depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — cultivation

Checked 2026-08-13

Deliberately tight: a pot only a couple of centimetres wider than the bulb, with the top third of the bulb standing proud of the compost. A hippeastrum in a generous pot spends a year making roots and leaves instead of flowering, and the surplus wet compost around it is the main cause of basal rot. Repot only every third or fourth year.

Habit and ultimate size

What the plant becomes, rather than what it is when you buy it. The gap between the two is where most planting mistakes live.

In a container
Good in a container long-term
Where these figures come from
In a containerHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Bulb, corm, rhizome and tuber comparedFour underground storage organs drawn in section at the same scale. A true bulb is layered scales around a growing point on a flat basal plate, and multiplies by offsets that pull apart by hand. A corm is a solid swollen stem base with a bud on top, the previous year's spent corm beneath it and small cormlets at its sides. A rhizome is a horizontal swollen stem that sits at soil level with roots below and a growing point at one end, and must not be buried. A tuber is a swollen stem with growth buds scattered over its whole surface and no basal plate, so a cut piece without a bud on it cannot grow.True bulbbasal plateDaffodil, tulip, lilyPull offsets apart by hand.Cormspent corm below, cormlets asideCrocus, gladiolus, crocosmiaReplaced yearly by a new one on top.Rhizomesoil level — top stays exposedBearded irisCut with a knife. Must not be buried.Tuberbuds scattered, no basal plateCyclamen, potatoA cut piece without a bud will rot.
All four are sold as 'bulbs'. The differences are internal, which is why they are drawn rather than photographed — and each one changes what you physically do with the thing in your hand.
Storage organ
True bulb
Survives winter in the ground
No — lift and store, or treat as annual
Planting depth
10–15 cm
Naturalises
Stays where it is put
Where these figures come from
Storage organSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — propagation

Checked 2026-08-13

Survives winter in the groundSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — hardiness

Checked 2026-08-13

Planting depthSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — planting depth

Checked 2026-08-13

NaturalisesHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Layered scales around a basal plate — an onion in cross-section. Multiplies by producing offsets alongside the parent, which can be pulled apart by hand when the clump is lifted.

How deep to plant a bulb, drawn to scaleEight geophytes drawn at one scale against a soil surface line, each at the depth the catalogue records for it. A bearded iris rhizome sits on top of the soil with only its roots buried. A cyclamen tuber and a nerine bulb are barely covered, at 2 to 3 centimetres, the nerine with its neck standing proud. Snowdrops and crocuses go at 8 to 10 centimetres, a daffodil at 10 to 15, a tulip at 15 to 20 and a lily deepest at 15 to 25 centimetres. Most sit at roughly two to three times their own height, and the shallow exceptions are shallow because the organ must bake in the sun to flower.soil surface5 cm10 cm15 cm20 cmBearded irison topon the surfaceCyclamen2 cmjust coveredNerine2 cmneck proudSnowdrop9 cmCrocus9 cmDaffodil13 cmTulip18 cmplant deepLily20 cmstem roots
Two to three times the bulb's own height is the working rule, and the four plants that break it are the four most often planted wrong. A bearded iris buried by mulch or a tidy neighbour will make leaves for years and never flower again.
Lifting and storing. It never goes in the ground in Britain, so there is nothing to lift — the equivalent job is the rest. Stop watering in late August, let the pot dry out completely for eight to ten weeks somewhere frost-free, then start it again for winter flowering.
source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

After flowering. The flower for next winter is built by the LEAVES during the summer, not during the dormancy. Feed and water them hard until August — a plant whose leaves were cut off after flowering is the usual reason a second year produces nothing.
source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Where and how you can grow it

Each way of growing is assessed separately, and “not assessed” is a real answer rather than a gap we have filled in with a guess.

MethodSuitabilityWhat it needs
Open groundWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Traditional dug bedWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Raised bedWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

ContainerWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Growing it

  • PlantingPot it tight, with the upper third of the bulb above the compost. Burying the neck is what rots it, and a pot much wider than the bulb produces leaves at the expense of flower.
  • ProtectionThe reason most are discarded is that nobody gives them the rest. Feed and water the leaves all summer — outdoors from June is ideal — then stop watering in late August and let it dry out completely for eight to ten weeks somewhere frost-free before starting it again. The flower for next Christmas is built during the summer, not during the rest.
  • WateringThe watering IS the cultivation, and it runs on a cycle rather than a schedule. Start a dormant bulb with one thorough watering and then almost nothing until the flower bud is properly through — a bulb kept wet before it is in growth rots at the base, which is the usual reason a Christmas amaryllis does nothing. Once it is growing, water freely and keep it going hard right through the spring and summer, because the leaves are what build next winter's flower. Then stop completely in late August and let the pot dry out for eight to ten weeks. Bulbs are planted with the top third proud of the compost so water never sits around the neck.
  • FeedingFeed from the moment the flowers fade until the end of August, fortnightly, with a balanced or high-potash liquid feed — this is the opposite of what most people do, which is to buy the bulb for its flower and lose interest afterwards. The flower for next winter is manufactured by the leaves during the summer, so a bulb whose leaves were cut off in January and never fed is the standard explanation for a second year that produces foliage and no flower. Stop feeding when you stop watering in late August.
Where this guidance comes from
PlantingSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — growing

Checked 2026-08-13

ProtectionSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Hippeastrum — culture

Checked 2026-08-13

WateringSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — cultivation

Checked 2026-08-13

FeedingSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — cultivation

Checked 2026-08-13

What goes wrong

ProblemHow oftenNotes
No dormant rest periodcommon
source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

No dry rest, no flower: the bulb needs eight to ten weeks dry and cool.

Safety and edibility

Cats and dogsPainful or persistently unwell; veterinary advice worth takingListed at genus level

Listed as harmful to cats or dogs

Hippeastrum is listed as harmful if eaten. The bulb concentrates lycorine and related alkaloids, with much smaller amounts in the leaves and stem — so the dangerous part is the one that looks most like something worth chewing. Eating it causes drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy, and a large enough dose brings on tremors and a drop in blood pressure. The bulb sits proud of the compost by design, which puts the most toxic part within easy reach of a cat on a table.
source

Sourced guidancehigh confidence

  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — toxic and non-toxic plant list — American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Hippeastrum — toxic plants list

Checked 2026-08-13

Affected parts: bulb, leaf, stem.

  • ToxicitypetschildrenThe bulb concentrates lycorine and related alkaloids, with far less in the leaves. Eating it causes drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy in cats and dogs, and a large dose brings on tremors. The bulb is deliberately potted with its top third exposed, which puts the most toxic part of the plant at table height in a warm room in December — the one time of year it is guaranteed to be indoors and within reach.
    source

    Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

    • Royal Horticultural Society: Hippeastrum — toxicity

    Checked 2026-08-13

    Stand it where a cat cannot get onto the same surface, and keep dormant bulbs in their storage box out of reach of dogs rather than loose in a cupboard or shed.

Sources for this page

GrowingHQ editorial synthesis · Plant Finder · Royal Horticultural Society

Each figure on this page carries its own citation, under the “where these figures come from” note in its section. Record last reviewed 2026-08-14.