Winter Blossoms
Are you in need of a little winter gardening? Needing something fresh inside to brighten the short, dreary days of winter? Need to get your hands busy growing something? Have you tried forcing bulbs lately?
I heartily recommend it if you have not ever done this. By far the easiest bulbs to force are Narcissus bulbs (paperwhites). These lovely blooms will reward only a tiny bit of effort with tall spires full of beautiful white blooms that smell heavenly. Best of all…no chilling required for these bulbs…unlike tulips, hyacinths and crocuses.
All you need is a nice pretty pot (say 10 inches in diameter with NO drainage holes). Fill it approximately halfway with pea gravel. Place as many narcissus bulbs on the gravel as will fit in the pot – the more the better! Add more gravel to fill the container. The bulbs should be right at the rim of the container with the tops of the bulbs uncovered. Fill the gravel to within approximately 1 inch of the tops of the bulbs.
Pour water into the container to within approximately 1 inch of the top of the container and keep the gravel moist like this at all times. Place the container in a cool, dark place until you start to see sprouts coming up from the bulbs. Move the container to a sunny window or under a grow light and keep the gravel evenly moist.
Narcissus takes approximately one month to bloom…so time them for when you want them. I have a pot sitting about two feet away from me right now…they have been blooming for a week with no sign of tiring out yet. They are heavenly!
