Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is one of my favorite plants to have blooming during the winter. I think they make especially great gifts for older people that may be homebound or in a nursing home situation. At my son’s school, the school library always has an amaryllis bulb growing in the winter. Watching these rather alien-looking bulbs turn into breathtaking blooms is exciting for any age. With some care, you should be able to get your amaryllis to bloom for you next year as well. After the plant is finished flowering, remove the dead flowers but not the stalk. Let the stalk shrivel up and then remove it. Continue to water the plant, fertilize it every month or so, and keep it in a sunny window. When all danger of frost is past, you can bring the amaryllis outside and sink the pot in a shady garden area. You will need to reduce watering in the late summer until the leaves turn yellow. At this time you can trim the leaves and keep the potted bulb in a cool but frost-free location. In about three months, you can bring the bulb back inside and begin watering it again. It will take roughly six weeks for the bulb to bloom after you begin to water. For more details about growing amaryllis, go to this North Carolina Cooperative Extension site: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8529.html