Actually, now knowing that they are Johnsonii, I would have divided them. They produce offsets quite readily. You should be able to plant them in the ground in Louisianna without any problems. They are quite hardy in your zone. These jewels are so hardy that you can transplant them any time that you wish. If the leaves die back, you should remove them because decaying leaves may attract problems of whatever sort. You should plant them with their necks about the surface of the soil, but you should not be surprised when you see the neck disappear in the winter. These bulbs tend to pull themself downward, and you will usually see tips of leaves before you see a scape. Congratulations! Johnsonii is one of my all time favorites!!

I just looked into amaryllis belladonna and it seems as if the foliage disappears, then a flower stalk emerges and it blooms - is this correct? If so, I'm not sure this is a belladonna. The plant has had it's leaves since at least August, so I can't imagine it's that particular species...

Happy Anniversary Arif! I can't believe....over 1000 bulbs. Your gardens are spectacular! I am only 1 year behind you in my love for these bulbs. I was gifted with my first amaryllis in 1991 and I still have it (or it's offsets). I should practice the methods of destroying the weak ones, but those are the ones that I probably think need a little extra bit of TLC. It would drive me "mad" not to document, but then you have 4 times what I have...and when I reach that point I may just let them take over as well! Have a good week and stay cool! Kristi

I'm relatively new to growing amaryllis and have only been growing them for two years. I add perlite to my potting mix to help it drain better. There are lots of opinions about the perfect mix. It sounds like your neighbor's bulbs were growing robustly... I'm wondering what sort of potting mix worked for them, how often they water and what type of pot they used? Since you're living in the same environment, it stands to reason that similar potting mix would work well for you too.