After Christmas comes January. By now, the holiday parties are over and the tree ornaments have been put away.

(In some traditions, the front-door wreath stays up until Feb. 2, or Candlemas.)

Daily, light lengthens, and it’s time to pay attention to indoor plants.

“What do I do about my amaryllis?” asked a reader. Some people keep them from year to year. Shall I cut off the leaves and stalk?”

If it grew in water, I wouldn’t try to hold it over. Anchored in potting soil, an amaryllis (also called “hippeastrum” and pronounced HIP-py-ASS-trum) may continue for years.

Right now, I have three whose leaves are growing from the top of their bulbs. Not having been forced for Christmas, their blooming time will be a little later.

When that glorious flowering show has faded, do not trim the stem. Let it die back on its own, sending the last of its winter strength back into its large bulb. If the stalk bothers you, put it in another room in east or west sun. Keep watering it lightly.

When soil warms in early summer, set the pot in an outdoor flower bed. Stand it in a shallow hole, simply to keep it upright. Don’t cut off any leaves.

Before frost, bring the amaryllis indoors, first cleaning the soil from the outside of the pot. A cool cellar is a good place. Lay the plant on its side. Check it now and then and when you see a lick of a green leaf showing from the bulb, bring the plant into the light, cleaning the pot. Standing it on a saucer, begin to water it gently.

Then, next autumn, watch the amaryllis get ready to flower again.