Garden Detective

Narcissus "tazetta"
photo courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension

I've heard from several readers who seem intimidated by prospect of forcing bulbs -- most commonly Paperwhites -- indoors over the winter. I've never done it personally, but in the interest of experimentation, I'm going to give it a whirl this year.

It seems a simple, straight-forward process, and one with a relatively high success rate.

Paperwhites are in the Narcissus family -- along with Daffodils and Jonquils -- and typically, as their name implies, are white. You can, however, find some yellow varieties as well, such as Bethlehem, Israel, Nazareth and Grand Soleil d'Or, but they're still called Paperwhites. The spring-blooming flowers can be forced (tricked, really) into blossoming over the winter. That sounds like a nice treat when your garden is hiding under a blanket of snow.

I've seen pre-packaged Paperwhite forcing kits retail for $9.99 all the way up to $49. They make nice gifts, to be sure. But you can purchase the bulbs for fifty cents apiece (less if you buy in bulk,) gather up some pebbles and grow them in a pot you have at home. It's up to you.

Here's how it's done:

1. Find a shallow (3 - 4 inches deep) bowl or pot without drainage holes.

2. Place an inch or two of small stones, pebbles or gravel at the bottom of your pot.

3. Set a group of bulbs onto the pebbles, pressing gently to stabilize. Don't worry about overcrowding them -- they look nice en masse.

4. Add another handful or so of pebbles around the bulbs just to hold them in place, not cover them.

5. Add just enough water to reach the base of the bulbs. Any more, and they'll rot. Your only responsibility will be to keep the water at this level.

6. Place in a cool, dark place, like a closet, for a week or two, or until roots begin to sprout.

7. Relocate to a sunny windowsill, preferably one with a southern or western exposure, until bloom time.

8. When you begin to see flowers, some say it's best to move the plant out of direct sunlight in order to extend bloom time.

You might consider repeating the process, staggering start times, to ensure a succession of blooms all winter.