How to Plant, Enjoy, and Keep Them Year After Year
By Amanda Rose Newton
When the holiday season rolls in, bulbs suddenly show up everywhere, wrapped in cute gift boxes at florist shops, displayed in garden centers, and featured in winter tablescapes. They’re timeless, cheerful, and surprisingly easy to grow. But what many Florida gardeners don’t realize is that some of these “holiday bulbs” do beautifully here year after year with just a little know-how.
Whether you’re decorating your home for December or planning ahead for spring color in your yard, here’s your friendly Central Florida guide to three of the most popular bulbs: paperwhites, amaryllis, and caladiums.
Why Bulbs Are So Popular Around the Holidays
Bulbs have become a winter favorite for a few reasons:
- They grow quickly indoors, even when it’s “winter” outside.
- They feel festive and nostalgic, especially varieties like amaryllis and paperwhites.
- They make great gifts because they’re foolproof! Even for relatives who kill every plant they get! Just add water and light.
- They let us grow plants indoors, which feels refreshing during shorter days.
And here’s the Floridian bonus: unlike colder climates, where bulbs are often tossed after blooming, many bulbs can be planted outside here and will happily live on as perennials.
Meet the Bulbs
Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus)
Perfect for: Instant holiday blooms, indoor décor, gifts
Outdoor behavior in Florida: May rebloom in subsequent years with the right conditions
Paperwhites are the easiest winter bulb you’ll ever grow. They don’t require chilling, forcing, or fancy soil. Just nestle them into gravel or potting mix, keep them moist, and they’ll reward you with beautifully fragrant white blooms in weeks rather than months.
After the holidays, you can plant them outdoors in Central Florida. Give them bright shade and well-drained soil, and they may naturalize slowly over time. Don’t expect huge clusters as you’d see in colder climates, but Florida gardeners get bonus points for even getting a second bloom cycle.
Planting Tips:
- Indoors: place bulbs in pebbles or soil, water lightly.
- Outdoors: plant 4–6″ deep in part shade; provide drainage.
- After bloom care: cut off old flowers but leave the foliage to recharge the bulb.
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp.)
Perfect for: Holiday centerpieces, impressive flowers, long-term Florida landscaping
Outdoor behavior in Florida: Reliable annual rebloomer and multiplier
Amaryllis is the true holiday star! Its huge trumpets in red, white, pink, or stripes that look hand-painted get noticed. In Florida, amaryllis performs exceptionally well outdoors and will rebloom year after year if planted correctly.
While the rest of the nation is chilling bulbs in refrigerators to trick them into blooming, Central Florida gardeners get to plant them right into the ground and forget about them.
Planting Tips:
- Plant with the top third of the bulb above soil level.
- Choose a bright shade; morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal.
- Water sparingly to avoid bulb rot.
- After bloom care: leave foliage intact until it yellows naturally.
Over time, the bulb will divide and form clumps, which can be dug up and shared or spaced out to create even more holiday-time color.
Caladiums (Caladium bicolor)
Perfect for: Tropical color, shady yards, summer interest
Outdoor behavior Florida: Long-lived perennial that comes back every spring
While not typically a “holiday bulb,” caladiums are one of the most Florida-friendly bulbs you can grow. Their foliage is really the showcase here, with pink, red, white, and green patterns that light up shady areas.
They’re a perfect choice for gardeners who want color where flowering bulbs struggle. And in Florida’s warm climate, they return yearly with fuller, more dramatic leaves.
Planting Tips:
- Best planted in late spring once soil warms.
- Place in full shade to part shade. Sunshine-loving varieties do exist, but require care.
- Plant 2″ deep, eyes facing upward.
- Dig and store only if you are in a flood-prone or poor-drainage area; otherwise, leave in ground.
Choose Your Own Bulb Adventure! Which Bulb Is Right For You?
If you want instant holiday décor… choose paperwhites.
They bloom fast indoors, require almost no effort, and bring that classic holiday fragrance. After blooming, you can try planting them outdoors for future blooms.
If you want a statement plant that reblooms every year… choose amaryllis.
They thrive in Central Florida gardens and multiply over time. Perfect for long-term landscaping and holiday displays.
If you want bold, tropical color for your yard… choose caladium.
These foliage bulbs love Florida heat and come back reliably each spring. Ideal for brightening shady corners.
How to Keep Your Bulbs Coming Back
Let the foliage die back naturally
The leaves are where the plant takes in most of its sunlight. Cutting them early weakens next year’s blooms.
Avoid low-lying areas
Bulbs hate wet feet! Ensure drainage, whether indoors or out.
Respect their seasonal rhythm
- Paperwhites: may or may not naturalize; treat outdoor re-blooming as a bonus
- Amaryllis: needs a rest period before the next bloom cycle
- Caladiums: go dormant in winter and pop back in spring
Feed lightly
A balanced, slow-release fertilizer gives bulbs a good boost when foliage emerges.
Bulbs are one of the easiest ways to bring beauty into your home and landscape, especially in Florida, where our mild winters let us grow what others can’t. Whether you want holiday fragrance, bold winter blooms, or lush tropical foliage, paperwhites, amaryllis, and caladiums all offer something special. They also happen to make great last-minute gifts!
