This Trader Joe’s Hostess Gift Is Better Than Your Average Bouquet

Don’t show up to your next holiday party empty-handed. Instead, swing by Trader Joe’s and pick up a Waxed Amaryllis. These bulbs may look like clunky ornaments or a candy apple without a stick, but they’re actually gorgeous flowers just days away from bursting open.

“It’s easy to walk past these bulbs and think it’s an ornament!” Instagram account @TraderJoesList wrote on December 3. “If you love to watch plants grow, then these are for you! Beautiful red Holiday flowers that are available for you to enjoy or gift [in a] stocking (they make the perfect weight to fill the toe).”

You can pick up one of these Amaryllis bulbs for just $8.

“I bought a dozen last weekend. These make the greatest gifts,” one commenter wrote.

The best thing about these bulbs is that you don’t have to do a thing. All the water and nutrients the plant needs are inside the wax coating. So, just place the bulb in a light spot away from direct sunlight and watch it get bigger and bigger until it blooms! You can also rotate the bulb every few days to make sure the plant grows as straight as possible and doesn’t topple over when the flower arrives.

Another commenter wrote, “Plant them after they bloom. Mine is still alive after two years.”

When your Amaryllis has finished blooming, you can remove the wilted flowers and dried-up foliage and take the bulb out of the wax. Then, place it in a pot that’s not too much larger than the bulb itself with some potting soil, leaving the neck of the bulb exposed. Give it a bit of water and watch it sprout yet again.

So if you play your cards right, these waxed Amaryllis bulbs can definitely be the gift that keeps on giving!