Can someone ID this flower?

[Crow Hunter]

My wife bought a flower pot at a garage sale this spring- it had a bulb rolling around in it. We plunked the bulb into the garden and it grew. We would like to know what it is, hope someone knows. Hope my picture posting works, thanks for any help.

[fishinchicks]

It almost looks like an amyrillis, but the flower stems are pretty short. The bulbs are sold in kits for forcing indoors during the winter.

[Steve Foss]

It looks like a variety of amaryllis to me even with the short stems. You'll need to pull the bulb in the fall and store it indoors in a cool, dry place and then replant next spring.

You can also put it in good-sized clay pot. In spring, after last frost, you put the pot/bulb in the ground so the lip is just above ground level, a process called "plunging." Then, after the flowers have come and gone, and after the leaves have died (the leaves continue to feed the bulb, which is important), you pull the pot in fall and store the whole thing in a cool dry place (don't water it). If you plunge, make sure you give the soil in the pot adequate fertilizer or use fertilized water periodcially.

Either option will work fine.

You can also Google "amaryllis care" and you'll get more info.

[Crow Hunter]

Thanks for the replies. After a little amarillis research I think it is a "Merry Christmas" amarillis.

CH