Amaryllis Rebloom: After Flowering, Not Blooming
What to do once the flowers fade, the summer outdoors and the rest worked out for Canadian cities, and the reasons an amaryllis stops flowering.
Amaryllis rebloom depends on one thing more than any other: what the leaves do after the flowers are gone. This winter’s flower was made inside the bulb last year. Next winter’s is made now, by the leaves, over spring and summer. In Canada that summer is short, so the plan is simple: keep every leaf, get it outside between your frost dates, then give it a cool, dry rest timed back from the date you want flowers.
New to amaryllis? The amaryllis care guide covers choosing a bulb, potting it, growing one in water and waxed bulbs.
In short: after flowering, cut the stalk and keep every leaf. Grow it in strong light and feed it; summer it outdoors once frost is safely past. Then stop watering and rest the dry bulb cool and dark for 8–10 weeks. For Christmas 2027, start the rest between August 21 and September 18 and wake it by October 30. If it is not blooming, the bulb almost always went hungry the summer before.
Amaryllis After Flowering: The First Weeks
- Snap off faded flowers. Pinch each flower off where it joins the stalk as it fades, so the plant does not spend energy on seed. (If you want seed, see amaryllis propagation.)
- Cut the stalk, not the leaves. When the whole stalk is done, cut it off a few centimetres above the bulb. A stalk that has started to yellow can come off; a green one still feeds the bulb a little, so there is no rush.
- Move it to your brightest window. A south or west window in a Canadian winter is still dim compared with summer. Leaves that flop over or stretch are asking for more light. A grow light a short distance above the leaves helps a lot from January to April.
- Water and feed it like a growing plant. Water when the top few centimetres of mix are dry, and give a houseplant fertilizer at the label rate while it is in leaf.
The Summer Outdoors, by City
The easiest way to rebuild an amaryllis bulb is a summer outside. It is a tender bulb from South America, so it goes out only once frost is safely past and comes in before the first fall frost. Harden it off over a week: a few hours in shade at first, then longer, then morning sun. Full afternoon sun scorches leaves that grew indoors. This table uses each city’s safe dates rather than the middle ones, because a frost night kills the leaves you are counting on:
| City | Out after | In before | Days outside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | Apr 21 | Oct 15 | 177 |
| Victoria | Apr 30 | Oct 17 | 170 |
| Windsor | May 9 | Oct 7 | 151 |
| Montreal | May 15 | Sep 28 | 136 |
| Halifax | May 26 | Oct 3 | 130 |
| Ottawa | May 20 | Sep 24 | 127 |
| Toronto | May 19 | Sep 22 | 126 |
| Quebec City | May 26 | Sep 20 | 117 |
| Winnipeg | Jun 7 | Sep 12 | 97 |
| Saskatoon | Jun 7 | Sep 1 | 86 |
| Calgary | Jun 11 | Aug 27 | 77 |
| Edmonton | Jun 10 | Aug 21 | 72 |
“Out after” is the date spring frost has passed by in 9 years out of 10; “in before” is the date fall frost arrives earlier than only 1 year in 10. Both come from Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals, 1991–2020, the same data behind every frost date on this site. If a cold night is forecast near freezing, bring it in for the night; a pot is easy to move. Not on the list? Look up your city.
Keep it in its pot outdoors so it is easy to bring in, and stand it where a summer storm will not knock it over. Water when the mix dries and keep feeding until late summer. No balcony or yard? A bright south window plus a grow light can do the same job; it is just slower.
The Rest: How to Make It Rebloom for Christmas
An amaryllis reblooms on a schedule you choose by resting it. Stop watering and stop feeding, bring it inside if it is not already, and let the leaves yellow and die back. Cut them off once they are brown. Then keep the dry bulb, still in its pot, somewhere cool and dark — a basement, a cold room or a closet in an unheated room, ideally about 7 to 13 °C — for about 8 to 10 weeks. Published advice ranges from 6 to 12 weeks; the middle of that range is the safe choice. Do not let it freeze.
To wake it, bring it into a warm, bright room, scrape off the top couple of centimetres of mix and replace it with fresh, and water once. Then wait for growth before watering again, exactly as with a new bulb. It flowers about 6 to 8 weeks later. Counted back from 25 December:
| Stop watering and start the rest | August 21 to September 18, 2027 |
| Wake it: warmth, fresh mix, first water | by October 30, 2027 |
| Flowers | around Christmas 2027 |
Dates are counted from the rest and regrowth ranges above, not stored, and they move to next year once this year’s wake-by date has passed. Bulbs vary; a few weeks either way is normal. In the short-season cities in the table, fall frost can arrive before the rest window opens — bring the plant in first and start the rest indoors.
Missed the window? Nothing is lost. Rest it anyway and wake it later; it will flower in January, February or March instead. Not every bulb waits for you, either: one that pushes up a flower bud during its rest is ready, so wake it early.
Next year’s flower is made from what the leaves can feed the bulb between flowering and the rest. A balanced or bloom-type houseplant fertilizer at the label rate, from the end of flowering until you stop watering, is all it needs. More is not better: too much nitrogen gives big leaves and no extra flowers.
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Why Is My Amaryllis Not Blooming?
An amaryllis that comes back with leaves and no flower stalk is not broken. It is a bulb that did not store enough to flower this year. Find the cause in this list, fix it, and the following winter is usually fine:
| What happened | Why it stops flowering | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves cut after flowering | No leaves, no food for next year’s flower | Leave every leaf on until it yellows by itself |
| Summer in a dim room | Too little light to rebuild the bulb | A summer outdoors, or your brightest window plus a grow light |
| No feeding | The bulb shrinks a little each year | Houseplant fertilizer while it is in leaf |
| Rest too short, or too warm | The flower bud does not get its signal | At least 8 weeks, cool and dark, completely dry |
| Bulb is small, or split into offsets | Each piece is too small to flower | Separate large offsets or grow them all on a year (see propagation) |
| It was waxed, or grown in water | No roots, so it used its stores and rebuilt nothing | Pot it in mix and expect a year or two of leaves first |
| Pot far too big | Wet mix around the roots; roots rot | A pot only a few centimetres wider than the bulb |
| Soft, hollow or mouldy bulb | Rot from the base or the neck | Remove soft scales; if the base is mushy, replace the bulb |
A quick way to judge a bulb before you wake it: squeeze it. A firm bulb about the size it was when you bought it, or bigger, is likely to flower. A bulb that has shrunk noticeably usually needs one more year of leaves first.
Every three or four years, repot during the rest: shake off the old mix, trim dead roots, and set the bulb back in fresh mix in a pot only a little wider than before, with the top third above the surface.
Pets: the ASPCA lists amaryllis as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and the Pet Poison Helpline notes the irritating crystals are more concentrated in the bulb. A resting bulb in a basement or a box of offsets is easy for a dog to find, so store it out of reach. If a pet chews any part of it, call your vet or a pet poison line. More in holiday plants and pets.
Amaryllis Rebloom FAQ
What do I do with an amaryllis after it blooms?
Cut each flower stalk off a few centimetres above the bulb once its flowers fade, but keep every leaf. The leaves rebuild the bulb for next year. Keep the plant in your brightest window, water when the top of the mix is dry, and feed it while it grows.
Do I cut the leaves off my amaryllis after flowering?
No. Leave them on until they yellow by themselves at the start of the rest. Cutting green leaves takes away the food the bulb needs to form next year's flowers, and it is the most common reason an amaryllis does not bloom again.
How do I get my amaryllis to rebloom?
Grow it in good light with its leaves through spring and summer, ideally outdoors once frost is safely past. Then stop watering, let the leaves die back, and keep the dry bulb cool and dark for about 8 to 10 weeks. Wake it with warmth, fresh mix on top and one watering. It flowers about 6 to 8 weeks later.
When should I start the amaryllis rest for Christmas flowers?
Count back from Christmas: 8 to 10 weeks of rest plus 6 to 8 weeks to flower. For Christmas 2027 that means starting the rest between August 21 and September 18, and waking the bulb by October 30.
Why is my amaryllis not blooming?
Usually the bulb did not rebuild enough the year before: the leaves were cut, it spent summer in a dim room, or it was not fed. Other causes are a rest that was too short or too warm, a bulb split into offsets, a pot that is too large, or a bulb that was waxed or grown in water. Most simply need one full summer of leaves in good light.
My amaryllis has leaves but no flowers. What now?
Keep the leaves growing. A bulb that sends up only leaves is telling you it is too small to flower this year. Give it the brightest spot you have, a summer outdoors, regular feeding while it grows, then a proper cool, dry rest of at least 8 weeks.
Does an amaryllis have to go dormant to rebloom?
Not strictly. Some keep their leaves all year and still flower, but the timing is then up to the bulb. The rest is what lets you choose when it flowers, which is why it is the usual advice for a Christmas bloom.
Can I put my amaryllis outside in summer in Canada?
Yes, and it is the easiest way to rebuild the bulb. Move it out once frost is safely past, into morning sun with some afternoon shade, and bring it in before the first fall frost. Depending on the city, the safe window runs from about 2 to 5 months.
Sources
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Amaryllis, Hippeastrum — keep the leaves, feed monthly at the houseplant rate, rest 8–10 weeks at 7–13 °C, bulbs bloom without a rest if kept in leaf, red blotch rarely kills.
- University of Maryland Extension, Amaryllis — cut the flower stalk, keep the leaves, rest the bulb cool and dry.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Amaryllis — care after flowering, bulb size and flower stalks.
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control, Amaryllis — toxic to dogs, cats and horses.
- Pet Poison Helpline, Amaryllis — crystals more concentrated in the bulb.
- Frost dates: Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals, 1991–2020.