In the UK we know this flower as an Amaryllis but in fact it is a Hippeastrum which is part of the same plant family as snowdrops and daffodils. The only true amaryllis is native to South America.
We tend to think of it as a Christmas plant, and it certainly is a popular festive gift, however if you take care of your bulb you can enjoy it's blooms right through to spring.
The hippeastrum bulb will flower six to eight weeks after you plant it so with a quick check of how many weeks are left before Christmas you can plan for the first flower to arrive in time for the big day.
If you feel that the roots are a little dry you can rehydrate them before you pant. Partially fill a jam jar with water and sit the bulb on the jar so it's roots are touching the water but the bulb is not and leave it overnight.
Your bulb will feel lost in a large pot and won't thrive so make sure you choose a container that is just bigger than the bulb itself. Allow no more than an inch (two and a half centimetres) between the bulb and the edge of the pot all the way round.
With any shoots upper most, and the roots pointing down over, submerge two thirds of your bulb in a general purpose compost leaving the top third free. It's important that the exposed part of the bulb, which includes the shoots, does not get too wet as it will rot.
Ensure that you keep the compost moist, watering from the top. The soil should not be so wet that water drains out of the pot and it sits in a puddle in the saucer.
Kick start growing by keeping the planted bulb between twenty and twenty five degrees centigrade. At this point light isn't important so if you have an airing cupboard you can safely use that.
When you have sprouts showing the plant can sit in a warm and light place to grow.
As the stems of the Hippeastrum become longer they will bend towards their light source so turn the pot regularly to keep them nice and straight.
You can use tomato fertiliser fortnightly to feed your Hippeastrum plant and when it flowers a cooler spot in the house will encourage it to keep it's blooms for longer.
Resist the temptation to re pot too often as Hippeastrum's don't enjoy having their roots disturbed however once the flowers have died away, any time between January and March, carefully remove the bulb and very gently brush any compost off the roots. Re plant in fresh compost as you did originally.
One last thing to keep in mind is that your plant will be top heavy when the flowers come out so watch it doesn't topple over.
Cover image courtesy of Aftabbanoori CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Tall image courtesy of Dwight Sipler from Stow, MA, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Bulb image Da Barn's own