Right around this time of year I get a major gardening/spring itch. Every year I crave spring bulbs and wonder how to satisfy this when there are a couple more months of snow left to go. I called a local nursery and asked about forcing spring bulbs and what my options were for plants. (Forcing bulbs is when you plant bulbs inside and make them flower.) I love the smell of hyacinth and daffodils and tulips wouldn’t be so bad either. The kind and patient lady told me that if I wanted to do those types of bulbs, I needed to have purchased the bulbs last fall and then put them in the freezer 10-12 weeks before I wanted to force them. ahhhh. dilemma. I so don’t think that far ahead. So she told me that at this point Paperwhites were my only option. No need to cold treat the bulbs and they had them at the shop. So here’s my quick fix project for needing a touch of spring a few months early.
To force Paperwhites you need bulbs, rocks or dirt, and a container. I went rocks since they make the project very simple and clean up is a snap.
Fill your container about 1/2 full of clean rocks, nestle your sweet bulbs in them, and add room temp water about 1/4″ up the side of the bulbs. There you have it! Easy and fast! Some friends and I did this together, and it really only took like 5 minutes. Keep adding water when needed and sit back and enjoy.
You can see the roots start to grow in a couple days and within 2 weeks you have this!
