Flowers in a Box (Part 1)

Today we are going to talk about the gift boxes of bulbs that are popping up all over the place for the Christmas season. The ease of growing them to beautiful flowers make them a favorite for gardeners and non gardeners alike.

Paperwhites

Paperwhites are a pretty little white flower which is part of the narcissus family (Narcissus tazetta).  This is the same family as the much loved daffodil that heralds the spring but unlike the daffodil it does not have to go through a chill before it blooms.  This makes the paperwhite a good candidate for forcing and a much loved favorite at Christmas.  (Forcing is the process of making a plant bloom out of season.)

If you are luck enough to get these bulbs in a gift box, you will also get a container and potting medium.  If you have only the bulbs, here is what you will need.  You will need a container 4 to 6 inches deep.  It should hold water and glass is the material of choice.  The potting medium can be anything from stones to marbles.


Place two inches of potting medium in the bottom of your container.  Bulbs are placed on top with the point up.  It is OK to fit all the bulbs snugly into the pot because as they grow this will help them from falling over.  Place another shallow layer of potting medium on top of the bulbs but not covering them.  This will also help to keep them upright as they grow tall.  I have recently read about a study by Cornell University where small amounts of alcohol was added to the water after the roots have developed and this kept the paperwhites from growing too tall.  The study showed that the plant only grew one third the usual heigth but did not change the size of the flower.  If you would like to know more about this check out the following link. www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March06/drunk.flowers.ssl.html

Add water to the container up to the bottom of the bulb.  If you add more then you might get rot before you get a bloom.  Do not let your bulbs dry out and watch for signs of roots.  Sunshine is not necessary until you see the roots and then you want to move the container in a bright sunny spot.  The bloom should appear withing 3 to 4 weeks after planting.

Many people find the scent of the paperwhite to be a bit overpowering so be careful where you place it for display.  One small bouquet will fill a room with its scent so it is best to place it in a large room or one that is a little more chilly.  I found that the chill blends well with the scent and actually enhances it.  Of course, that is just my opinion.

After your paperwhite is finished blooming you can save the bulbs and try to make them flower again.  This is not always successful as forcing the bulb takes an enormous amount of strength from the bulb.  But if you want to try, first you must remove the spent flower and the stem.  Cut back on the watering and wait for the leaves to brown.  Lay the bulbs out on a newspaper to dry so that they do not touch each other. They are now ready for the garden.  Paperwhites are usually hardy to zone 5.  It may take a few years for the bulbs to recover so place them where their missing flowers won't be notices.

I have tried to fertilize the bulbs while they were blooming but with little success.  If you or someone you know has successfully gotten a second bloom from their paperwhites, please add you secret to this posting.

Next time we will talk about the amaryllis which is the other popular bulb that you can give at Christmas and even easier than the paperwhite.  Until then please write me at joneskathee@gmail.com or add any comments right on this page.