in recent times it has become a tradition for many folks in Norway to manage to get an amazing brilliant and giant red amarilys in full bloom time for Christmas. most people buy the newly potted bulbs about 8 weeks before and start to water them in a suitably warm spot. the bulbs can last several years if you keep them properly so after they finish blooming, with a little care you don't need to buy new ones every year. the bulbs must be dormant through the fall and kept in a cool place. then around the beginning of November you put them in a small pot just a little larger than the bulb with some soil that drains well and start to water. the stalks bear several flowers in sequence so while the first blooms start to wither there are still more coming into bloom on a stalk and there may be several stalks from the single bulb. so the brilliant show lasts well into January
