Amaryllis bulbs in a glass jar
Colour and life for wintering at home, tied with a bow...
Before I started playing with flowers for a living, one Christmas, a florist friend gave me a beautiful, old glass jar with an amaryllis bulb sitting at the bottom of it. There it sat in our kitchen like a museum specimen, growing more alive and more beautiful each day; I was transfixed. This magic duo – jar and bulb – have since become one of my favourite presents to give a friend at this time of year. I love how they thrive with no soil; they are seriously low maintenance so make a brilliant gift for everyone, green-fingered or not.
A very easy joyful update to bring colour and life indoors - you could also use paper whites, hyacinths and our everyday recycled glass jar is perfect.
You will need:
Clean large glass jar (sometimes they’re called pickle or bell jars; it needs to be at least 30cm/12in to support the height of the amaryllis)
Amaryllis bulbs – I love ‘Alfresco’, ‘Mandela’, ‘Marilyn’ and ‘Magic Green’. Use an odd number of bulbs. For a 30cm (12in) jar I would use three bulbs
Moss to nestle around the bulbs
This magic duo – jar and bulb – have since become one of my favourite presents to give a friend at this time of year
How to:
1. Place the bulbs at the bottom of the jar.
2. Trickle in enough water just so that the roots are wet. The bulb itself should not be in contact with water.
3. Sit back and watch the magic unfold…
You should start to see growth after a few weeks. Once the flower bud has appeared, it will shoot up very quickly. If you want to slow the growth down, keep it somewhere cool and to speed it up, move it somewhere warmer.
Tip: You can add gravel or decorative stones for the bulbs to sit on; for the amaryllis, I just prefer it aesthetically without and only with moss for company… Add a velvet bow to wrap around the glass jar, et voila - a very lovely festive present…