PAPERWHITES

Forcing paperwhite narcissus bulbs to bloom couldn't be easier. After planting, they will bloom in four to six weeks. Paperwhite narcissus are fun to watch and grow so fast you can almost see them sprout. Forcing paperwhites is a great project to do with kids, and can make easy and economical holiday gifts.

What You Need for Your Paperwhite Narcissus Container Garden

· A glass jar, vase or bowl without any drainage

· Rocks, marbles or sea glass

· Paperwhite narcissus bulbs

I like to grow paperwhite narcissus in a tall jar or vase. I think it looks pretty and that way I don't have to worry about the weight of the flowers tipping the bulbs over. You can often find inexpensive vases in craft or thrift stores.

Add Two to Four Inches of Stones

Fill the bottom of your glass jar, vase or bowl with about two to four inches of stones, marbles or sea glass. The purpose of this to give your bulbs stability and to keep the bulbs to above the water, while allowing the roots to stay wet

Place Your Paperwhite Narcissus Bulbs

Place your paperwhite narcissus bulbs close together, on top of the stones. Nestle them into the stones until they are stable. It's very important to make sure all the bulbs are sitting at the same level, so that the roots, not the bulbs will be sitting in water.

Add just enough water so the level is below the paperwhite narcissus bulbs, but is wetting the roots. This is very important because if you leave the bulbs sitting in water they will rot.

Growing Tips for Your Paperwhite Narcissus Container Garden

For optimal growing, keep your bulbs in a cool (50-60 °F) spot, out of direct sunlight, for a couple of weeks until the roots have grown.

After this rooting period, put them in a bright warm spot. Some people recommend putting them under “grow lights,” or florescent lights. Or, if you want to speed up the flowering you can also use a heat mat or heating pad underneath your bulbs.

That said, I usually just plant my bulbs and put them on the kitchen counter, which is bright but gets no direct sun. With regular watering, but without any extra attention they do fine.

Paperwhites have a tendency to fall over after they flower. This is more of a problem if they are in a shorter container. To prop them up, I use some chopsticks or bamboo stakes stuck down the sides of the vase or bowl and encircled with twine or decorative ribbon.

To have continuous fragrant blooms throughout the winter months, plant a narcissus bulb container garden every couple of weeks throughout fall and winter