What you do for your spring amaryllis after the bloom has faded and on through the following summer determines the fate of next year’s flowering. Your care is undemanding so far as effort and time are concerned, but you must feed and water the plant on a faithful schedule. If you do, your bulb will build strength to form next year’s buds.

At the end of summer (usually late September) and before freezing weather arrives, lift the pot, take it indoors, and store it in a cool location. Place the pot on its side, and water no further for the next few months. When the amaryllis is ready to begin its next growing cycle, the neck of the bulb will turn green. At that point, bring the pot to warmth and light and begin watering it regularly, adding some fresh potting soil at the top of the pot. The bulb will revert to normal blooming time __late winter.

In addition to the amaryllis, there are several related bulb plants, taking the same cultural attention, that also make interesting house plants. Among these are the tender crinum (hardy varieties are grown in the gardens in the South), sprekelia or ‘orchid-lily’,brunsvigia,zephyranthes, sternbergia, and haemanthus or ‘blood-lily.’

Not related (grown from tubers rather than bulbs), but good companions to amaryllis are those showy plants, the caladiums. Like the group pictured across the page, they can be obtained in many marbled leaf patterns that include reds, pinks, whites, and greens. Familiar as garden plants for shade, they’re also excellent house plants.

Start caladium tubers in moist peat moss or sand. The roots grow from the tops of the tubers. After they start, repot (three tubers to a 7-inch pot) in a standard potting soil mixture, placing the tubers an inch below the soil.

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