About three years ago I reported I was trying some new amaryllis varieties.  For a long time I heard new varieties often did poorly in Florida Landscapes.  Well do they? I had to find out and ordered great looking flowering size bulbs to include varieties Dancing Queen, Exotica, Pink Surprise, Flaming Peacock and Snow Drift.  

Now it is three years later and these plus some old time favorites like Apple Blossom and Nittany Lion have been repeat performers. Our yard is also home to what appears to be a well-adapted variety most likely first experimented with by horticulturist Ted Mead famous for his amaryllis plantings of the early 1900's.  This one even reseeds much like weed.

Maybe some of my success with amaryllis is their care.  The new varieties do not appear to be ones to plant and forget in our climate.  In fact I keep them in containers in a filtered sun to a  morning sun and afternoon shade location.

Each plant receives adequate water and fertilizer.  I use a slow release product for containers, after blooming around the end of April, and again in June and September. The plants are allowed to slow growth in October by reducing the waterings to only what is needed when the surface of the soil dries.  University of Florida studies suggested a dry period during late fall and early winter encourages blooms. Plants are given new containers as needed.  They appear to like a slightly pot bound condition but periodically need extra room to grow.

During winter the containers remain outdoors and subjected to cold.  They have not minded temperatures slightly below freezing for a short period of time.  The foliage declines but the bulbs bounce back with blooms and growth each spring

Amaryllis provide great spring color and there appears to be no reason not to try the new varieties.