OK, before we begin I have to confess that the smell of fully bloomed Paperwhites makes me ill, but nevertheless the beautiful — and easy!— growing process and the bit of life they bring to the dreary winter months keep me growing a constant rotation of them all winter long. And believe me when I say that even those with the blackest of thumbs are guaranteed success.While researching instructions before I attempted my first set of bulbs (I'm now on my third successful round this season) I found a million different approaches, but the easiest proved to be the most fail-proof.
Materials
•vase/container/cup (I love seeing the root systems develop so I used a clear cylindrical vase and two scotch glasses)
•stones/river rocks (I used Hoffman's Marble Maze River Gravel, which I initially found at Johnson's for another project, but larges smooth black stones would look lovely)
•Paperwhite bulbs (almost all florists and garden centers carry them this time of year and they generally range in price from 30 cents to 2 dollars a bulb)
•water
Instructions
• 1. Arrange a layer of pebbles that is at least 1" deep on the bottom of the vase.
• 2. Place bulbs root side down (you should see a knot where the roots will eventually appear from) into the pebbles so that the bottom centimeter is surrounded.
• 3. Pour water to the top of (but not above) the pebble line (tip: the bulb should not be touching the water or it will rot. Eventually the roots will grow to "find" the water)
• 4. Water every few days as you notice the water line dip below the pebbles.
• 5. Watch roots sprout and shoots grow and flowers bloom!
You should start to notice roots sprouting from below within a few days of planting. Shortly after you will notice the green shoot begin to emerge from the top of the bulb, and within 4-6 weeks you will see your first bloom. During the last two weeks, the stems grow quite rapidly, so if you are using a short container you might want to try staking them with a stick (or chopstick) and a twist tie or thread. However, because of the smell I'm usually about ready to ditch them by the time they get that tall ;)
(Images: Leah Moss)
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How late into the winter can you force bulbs? Can you even get paperwhites in February? I LOVE these flowers.
divaskychick- I was told by my local florist that you can force them through the spring. And yes, they sell them in February. I just picked up a few more last week from Johnson's (see link above if you're in DC). Good luck!
I love the way they look. hate the smell. found that out after successfully forcing them earlier in the season. now what? can I put the bulbs in the yard where they will come up again but I won't have to smell them?
Looove the touch of green inside in winter time :) I've been forcing mine for about a month now and the flower bulbs are there but has not opened itself yet (sorry for the non-technically-me-no-greenthumb terms)
One interesting things I've tried out is "pickling" the paperwhites, essentially using small amount of alcohol in the water so dawf them so they don't grow too tall and fall over in its own weight. Here's an article about it: http://gardening.about.com/od/forcingandprechilling/qt/PaperWhites_Alc.htm
i HATE the smell. what are some other things you can force easily?
*btw, can't find them here this time of year. i've looked in like 4 garden places.
Just wanted to say that I love the painting the background
second jbull, now what? They are too tall, too smelly and starting to brown. I'm about to cut them back but what do I do with the (spent?) bulbs.
I love the smell. You can force any bulb, provided you chill it long enough. Hyacinths, daffs, tulips, crocus. Hyacinths, crocus, and narcissus also can be forced in water.
I think soil works better than pebbles, but the most important factor is chilling the bulbs in the fridge. Even if you buy bulbs labeled "pre-chilled" a couple of weeks of refrigeration will great improve your chances of successful forcing.
Most bulbs need 12 weeks of chilling--I never plant any right after I've brought them home.
I love paperwhites and grow them almost every year, but how exactly is this a "hack"?
Laurie--paperwhite narcissus won't be forced twice, so you can either plant them outside (I do a renegade gardener thing and plant them in unlikely public spaces) or toss 'em in the compost.
I actually LOVE the smell and the look. I "plant" (rocks/glass container) these every winter, my mom has a tradition of giving me the bulbs around my birthday in December or for the New Year.
solmstea- Here's an explanation of what our "hacks" are intended to be this month. You can check more info on the homehacks page link just under the cities bar at the top of the page. Here's Maxwell's explanation:
"We are always learning new things in our pursuit of making our homes more healthy, organized, and beautiful. This month is all about learning new things together and showing each other the smartest ways of getting things done in every room of the house.
From how to dice an onion to how to frame a picture, and from creating an indoor herb garden to organizing your office better — we are bringing you our best Home Hacks, or How To tutorials, every day this month.
Some of our How To tutorials will be for simple and instructive tasks, like how to drive a nail straight or how to clean your granite countertops. Some will be for more imaginative and inspiring projects, like how to paint an accent wall or how to create a home office in a closet. We're thinking small, and thinking big!
We are tapping into our collective household intelligence this month! Watch this page for a collected stream of all our How To tutorials. "