A couple of years ago someone gave me a potted amaryllis for Christmas. After it bloomed I put the bulb in the yard and voila every year I have gorgeous blooms. It is said that they can bloom for an amazing 75 years.
Amaryllis are native to South America and South Africa (depending on species). When they first came to North America is a mystery however, Thomas Jefferson wrote about amaryllis in the 1800s Some say that the bulb was introduced to Europe in the 17th century, a German physician may have discovered it in Chile in the 1800s.