Start your Paperwhites and Amaryllis Indoors

Spring bulbs “forced” to flower in mid-winter are special attractions. A pot of bulbs can brighten your kitchen or dining room table. They also make a nice gift to give or receive during the holidays. Among our selection of bulbs, we have some pre-cooled Amaryllis, hyacinths, and narcissus (Paperwhites) that are well adapted for forcing.

What is Bulb Forcing?

Spring bulbs “forced” to flower in mid-winter are special attractions. A pot of bulbs can brighten your kitchen or dinning room table. They also make a nice gift to give or receive during the holidays. Among our selection of bulbs, we have some pre-cooled Amaryllis, hyacinths, and narcissus (Paperwhites) that are well adapted for forcing.

Bulb Forcing Stages:

Growth of spring bulbs and corresponding temperature can be divided into four stages. Duplicate these four natural stages and they will flower earlier than normal.

1.Stage one (Dormancy) – plant the bulbs in a pot with potting soil.

2.Stage two (Root Growth) – Keep pots in a cool dark spot, always keeping the soil moist, for 6 to 8 weeks.

3.Stage three (Growth begins) – Move to a bright light location, but temperatures should be cool in the 13 C to 19 C range.

4.Stage four (Blooming) - After two or three weeks at stage three, move into warmer temperature of 20 C to 22 C and watch the beautiful flowers pop into bloom.

For forcing, you require a good, well drained potting soil (for example our “Potting Soil”). You do not have to fertilize during this process; the bulb contains all the food it needs. Come in today to see a selection of bulbs that you can use for your home. Some popular varieties include:

Crocus – Mammoth Yellow, Remembrance

Hyacinths – Delft Blue, Jan Boss, Carnegie

Narcissi (Daffodils) – Paperwhites, Grand Soleil D’or, Tete-a-tete, February Gold

Tulips – Showwinner, Princess Irene

Specialty Bulbs – Iris reticulata, Muscari armeniacum