Homeschool Garden Club - Jobs for December

Now is the time to get the seed catalogues out and start planning for next year. You don't necessarily need to order everything now, as we will have a seed swop in January. In the meantime, we can grow something inside.

We can grow something in time for Blue Monday in January, we need to plant something now to cheer ourselves up. So, look out for an amaryllis. Amaryllis is a striking indoor plant that is easy to grow so win for us. The bulb has a tall flower spire, which reaches between 30cm and 60cm. The flower head is often very large and dramatic. You can buy them from a garden centre often with a pot and the soil. You will just need to add water, a bright windowsill and a little bit of time!

Amaryllis takes about six to eight weeks from planting.They are sold in October for Christmas but we can plant them now and it will be flowering in time for the18th January.

The trick to succeed with this is to grow the amaryllis bulb in a container that is only slightly larger than the width of the bulb. You need to plant the bulb with the top third above the soil level.

Put your bulb in a bright spot on a windowsill and water sparingly until the shoot appears. Then increase the watering to keep the soil moist. Make sure you turn the pot everyday so the stem grows straight.

The amaryllis flower will last for a long time and to help it stay fresh, move the pot to a slightly cooler but still bright spot once it starts to flower.