Christmas Amaryllis

Yes, I have flowers on my amaryllis year after year, I have even taken off the baby bulblets & grown them on to become flowering bulbs although this did take several years.  When the flowers have died cut the flower stalk off to approx 2 inches above the bulb.  My amaryllis are kept in my porch which does get very warm in the summer but well ventilated, the leaves rarely seem to wither & want to die but if they do die off then I leave the bulbs watering sparingly until they start to shoot again, those that don't die back I continue to water but not over water, both those that have died back & those that didn't have flowered again the following year.  I remember someone telling me that you should lay the pot on its side for the rest period but I have never done that.

The aftercare instructions I had with one of my original amaryllis is as follows: 

Cut the flower stalk back to about 5cm above the bulb.  Do not cut any of the foliage back as the leaves are producing food for the bulbs.  Water very modestly & feed monthly with a suitable fertilizer.  In the summer the foliage will begin to wither, at this point stop watering & store the bulb in a cool, dry, well ventilated place.  The rest period is essential to future blooming.  After the rest period the bulb can be started again.  Take the bulb out of the pot & remove any bulblets to be potted up separately.  Cut off the dried leaves, clean the roots carefully & repot the bulb using fresh soil.

I hope this helps you even though the aftercare instructions & the way I keep my Amaryllis which works for me seem to contradict each other.

I always think that everything has two chances - they either survive & grow or they go to the big compost heap in the sky so it is worth the try  I hope you succeed Nipper, it is quite a 'buzz' to see the buds coming up the first time & usually they come up alongside the leaves.  What I forgot to mention was that my Amaryllis now flower later than Christmas, usually early summer, I think they must 'treat' the bulbs to get them to flower around Christmas.