Q: I have a lily of the Amazon (Eucharis grandiflora) houseplant that I purchased from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in the 1990s. It looks perfectly healthy, but has never bloomed. Help!
— T.J., Arlington, Va.
A: Amazon lily is actually native to Colombia and Peru, not the Amazon region, environmental horticulturist Edward F. Gilman notes in a fact sheet he wrote for the University of Florida Extension. In its natural setting, it goes dormant in winter, which enables it to flower in spring.
Gilman recommends keeping the lily’s soil fairly dry during the winter. Some who grow the plant in their homes withhold water until it starts to wilt. Keeping it in a cool spot in winter may help, too.
Amazon lily also likes crowded conditions, Gilman notes, so don’t be too quick to repot it.
Have a question about home maintenance, decorating or gardening? Akron Beacon Journal home writer Mary Beth Breckenridge will find answers for the queries that are chosen to appear in the paper. To submit a question, call her at 330-996-3756, or send email to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. Be sure to include your full name, your town and your phone number or email address.
