ANN ARBOR—The amaryllis Aunt Helen gave you was beautiful while it bloomed, but now what do you do with it? Michael Palmer, horticulturist at the University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens, has tips to ensure the blooms will be beautiful for years to come.

Until the danger of frost has passed, Palmer says to cut the flower stalks (not the leaves), and continue watering and using a water-soluble fertilizer. When the ground is ready, Palmer recommends plunging the plant, clay pot and all, into the garden. If the pot is plastic, remove the pot and place the undisturbed roots in the soil. Regardless of the planting method, keep watering and fertilizing through the summer.

Before September, Palmer says to bring the plant indoors, and stop watering completely. In November, repot the amaryllis, replacing some of the old soil with new. Resume watering the plant well, and wait for the new growth to bring beautiful blossoms.

“Eventually, your amaryllis will create ‘pups’ (new bulbs),” Palmer says. “You can transplant the pups to new pots. These pups will take two or three years to bloom, but then can continue to bloom for many years.”

The amaryllis (Hippeastrum hybrids) is an easy-to-grow flowering bulb, which gives weeks of glorious color when forced to bloom during drab winter months.