THE AMAZING AMARYLLIS LET DELIGHTFUL FLOWER BRING SOME INDOOR SPARKLE TO YOUR HOLIDAY.

Byline: Karen Dardick Correspondent

A holiday gift that keeps on giving and growing is amaryllis, an amazing bulb that flowers indoors with little effort, then can be moved out into our warm gardens where it will thrive for years to come.

Nurseries and garden centers offer these very large bulbs for sale now. The name ``amaryllis'' means ``sparkling'' in Greek. Consider buying a few for yourself, or pot them up as welcome holiday presents.

Debbie van Bourgondien, who calls herself ``the bulb lady,'' laughingly explains that she's a popular guest at holiday parties because she always comes with potted amaryllis as hostess gifts.

She selects an attractive pot, places a red, white or striped amaryllis flowering bulb in it, then tucks in a 4-inch poinsettia, cyclamen plant or small fern. She adds decorative moss, ties a bow around the pot and, with a minimum of fuss or effort, has created a gift that brings exclamations of delight from the recipient.

``It's so easy to do this,'' she says. ``And it's so much fun to watch people get excited about growing amaryllis.''

Van Bourgondien is one of America's leading importers of Dutch bulbs, including the giant amaryllis now so popular for forcing indoors. (Forcing means making a plant flower at a time it wouldn't do so naturally; on their own, the bulbs flower in spring.) Because they respond to water, they'll grow indoors in a minimal amount of potting soil and flower within four to six weeks, or even sooner. The blooms are trumpet-shaped flowers in various patterns and sizes, in colors of red, white, striped red, white, green or peach. After blooming, the bulbs can be kept in pots for repeat performances in future years or placed in landscapes, where they'll return to their natural spring blooming cycle. Every year, their popularity is increasing and gardeners can select from more varieties of amaryllis than ever before.

``Hybridizers are producing brand-new hybrids,'' says Kim Rago, plant buyer for Smith & Hawken, which offers more than a dozen different amaryllis varieties.

In addition to creating new colors, smaller flowers and dwarf plants, hybridizers are also adding fragrance. Van Bourgondien offers ``Blossom Peacock,'' a white-striped, red-edged double flower described as having a sweet fragrance. It's in very limited supply and may be hard to find this year. You can even use the flowering stems of amaryllis in long-lasting floral arrangements - a popular way to use them in Holland.

``Amaryllis are considered the Christmas flower in Holland, where they're given as gifts and used a lot as cut flowers in Christmas arrangements,'' Van Bourgondien says. ``They're very pretty in glass vases because their stems curl back and are also decorative.''

What we call amaryllis actually has the botanical name Hippeastrum. The bulbs are native to the tropics and subtropics. Hybrid varieties are grown extensively in Holland and South Africa and shipped throughout the world. The true botanical amaryllis is Amaryllis belladonna, popularly called Belladonna lily or Naked Lady. In our region, it flourishes and flowers in August, then produces straplike leaves in fall.

You can expect to pay from $8 to $20 per bulb, depending on size and selection.

Forcing beauty

Like the European tradition of forced flowers for the holidays? Here are the top four favorites of garden experts, including Smith & Hawken and Jackson & Perkins:

Amaryllis belladonna: Comes in variety of sizes and colors, including velvety red, flame orange and pink. Typically one bloom, but up to three per bulb.

Paper whites (Narcissus): Dainty clusters of white flowers on individual stems.

Hyacinth: A cone-shaped bloom with lots of tiny flowers typically in purple, but also white, lilac, blue and pink.

Crocus: The smallest of the group, with a small single flower in choice of purple, blue or white.

Look for bulbs from these retailers, along with local stores such as Smith and Hawken: Harry & David, [phone] or www.harryanddavid.com; Van Bourgondien, [phone] or www.dutchbulbs.com; Jackson & Perkins, [phone] or jacksonandperkins.com.

How to grow amaryllis indoors

1. Select the largest bulbs you can find. You can plant one per pot or group three together for a spectacular display. If you grow one, select a pot 3 to 4 inches wider than the bulb. If you grow several, select a pot large enough to hold three and with a broad base so it won't tip.

2. Use a light, fast-draining potting mixture that contains some peat moss. Place in pot and make sure it's one inch below the rim of the pot. Plant the bulb or bulbs two-thirds below soil level and one-third sticking up. Firm the soil around the bulb, water well and place in a sunny, warm room.

3. Be sure the pot is not in direct light. Don't add water until the first shoots appear, and then water just enough to keep the soil moist, but not soggy.

4. Stalks and buds will emerge within a few weeks. Keep plant in filtered light, but not so dark that the stalk gets leggy (it will seek light if there isn't enough).

5. Some amaryllis varieties grow as tall as 2 feet and might need staking.

6. Although the bulb has enough food in it to feed the current flowers, you can fertilize lightly with a balanced houseplant fertilizer like 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 to provide nutrients for the following year.

7. After you've enjoyed the blooms, move the pot to a sunny location and continue to water and fertilize so the foliage remains green and vigorous, enabling the bulb to get energy for the following year's flower production. If you prefer, you can plant the bulb in a sunny location in your garden, but then flowering may not occur for at least a year.

8. When leaves turn yellow, you can remove them and store the bulb and pot in a cold, dry place without sun or water. By September or October, when you see new growth emerge from the pot, freshen the soil by replacing just the top inch with new potting soil. You can mix in a little bone meal at this time, but be careful not to disturb the roots or new shoots. Then enjoy the winter show of new foliage and flowers.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) holiday BULBS

Potted amaryllis and other flowers make wonderful last-minute gifts

(2 -- 4 -- color) Delicate narcissus and grape hyacinth, top, make an ideal combination, while the highly fragrant hyacinth, center, and the calyx-shaped crocus, above, are lovely in soft purple hues.

(4 -- color) Amaryllis ranges from pure white to salmon and pink, but it's most popular color during the Christmas season is a signature deep red.

(5) Amaryllis bulbs thrive in a sunny, warm room, but once the flower buds are ready to open, moving the plant to a cooler area helps bring out its colors, as seen in these bicolored petals.

Box: (1) Forcing beauty (see text)

(2) How to grow amaryllis indoors (see text)