Cyrtantus elatus red

Cyrtanthus elatus Purple Vallota Amaryllis is a frost-tender bulbous plant with magnificent bright red flowers that is cultivated in a pot.

In July, this Cyrtanthus elatus forms a rosette of dark green, ribbon-like, arching leaves and develops a long stem (about 50 cm (20in)) topped with 5 to 8 open trumpet-shaped bright red flowers 10 cm (4in) in diameter. The bulbs produce bulbils every year, which grow quickly and will flower in turn until the pot is filled.

Originally from South Africa, this amaryllis is frost-sensitive. Growing in a pot is preferable using a mixture of one-third garden soil, compost (or good potting soil), turf, and sand. Indoors, place the pot near a south-facing window or a conservatory, and outdoors, in full sun.

Anecdote: A beautiful pot of red flowers, a memory from my grandmother's. Grandma Rosalie regularly divided it, giving bulbs to those she loved. Brought out every season on sunny days, watered with bulb fertilizer all summer, before the first cold weather, her 'amaryllis' would return to the conservatory before going to sleep until the next season.

Tip: Apply tomato fertiliser at the beginning of flowering. The high potassium content promotes flower development.