Winter Blooms Beautiful!
Grow your favorite spring garden flowers indoors by "forcing" bulbs. It's so easy!
By Natalie Newman, Anchorage, Alaska
Is there frost on your windowpanes...
or is the view looking out starting to appear just plain dreary? What's a cooped-up gardener to do? Raise flowering bulbs!
Yes, the same types of bulb you planted outdoors this fall—the ones that won't poke their heads up out of the ground until spring—are the ones that can be blooming your house all winter. Take your pick: tulips, daffodils, crocusses...even offbeat ones.
It turns out that "forcing" bulbs to bloom inside in flowerpots is quite simple and great fun! You'll feel better...and the bright colors and sweet scents they bring cheer everyone who has "cabin fever."
Pots of blooming indoor bulbs also make great gifts, either for Christmas or Hanukkah, or to banish winter doldrums right on up through Valentine's Day. As long as the rooms they're displayed in are not overheated, the early-blooming bulbs will be gratifyingly long-lasting. You ready to give it a try? Here's what you'll need:
Good-quality bulbs.
Get them down at your local garden center, or order from a fall bulb catalog or the on-line equivalent. Either way, inspect each bulb carefully beforehand, using only bulbs that are firm and crisp. Return or discard ones that appear soft or are rotting.
A flowerpot.
Different bulbs have different requirements, but generally speaking, a plastic pot or tray that is broad and several inches deep (to accommodate the root systems) is fine. A drainage hole is a must, so excess moisture can escape. You may need two or more pots, depending on your plans.
Growing medium.
Sterile potting mix is ideal, because it's light and welcoming and contains no organisms that could cause your bulbs to spoil. One 2-quart bagful should be enough for a few pots. Special note: Paperwhites may be raised in pebbles or gravel. Hyacinths and crocuses can be raised in mix, but also grow and bloom in nothing but a glass of water if the top half of the bulb is not immersed—special fluted "jars" are available, often wherever the bulbs are sold.
Labels.
If you're potting up more than one kind of bulb in different pots, it's easy to mix them up before they bloom. So be sure to write each type of bulb, as well as the date planted, on a label, masking tape or a Popsicle stick, and mark each flowerpot. This is especially helpful if you are staggering plants for blooms all winter.
That's all you'll need...and potting up and forcing the bulbs is just as easy. Follow the step-by-step instructions below, and your house will be blooming in just weeks...long before winter yields to spring's glorious flowers.
Step One: Pot up the bulbs.
Fill the pot most of the way with moistened potting mix. Then, using your thumb, create a shallow hole for each bulb and plant it right side up. Usually, the pointy end should face up. If you're not sure, look for the beginnings of roots on the bottoms or bases of bulbs, which are often flatter than the tops.
They don't need to be planted as deeply as outdoor bulbs—1 or 2 inches deep is usually fine, leaving a bit of the bulb's tip showing. Also, it's okay to crowd bulbs in a pot, whether they're the same kind or mix-and-match. Just make sure they are not touching. Ring them around the perimeter and tuck a few into the middle for a full display. Now is when you'll want to label each pot with the type of bulb and the planting date!
Step Two: Chill 'em.
When outdoors, fall-planted bulbs get a natural winter chilling. For your indoor ones, you need to mimic these conditions in order to inspire them to start growing. Place the pots in a dark cool (but nonfreezing, around 35-45 degrees) spot for 12 to 20 weeks, such as on the steps going down to a basement, an unheated sunporch, your garage or fridge, or even in an outdoor cold frame.
Step Three: Check on them.
Once or twice a week, check to make sure the growing medium has not dried out. Give bulbs a light watering if they're dry. It may take from 6 to 10 weeks for green growth to appear. Watch for sprouts, as well as for white roots coming out the pot's bottom.
Step Four: Transition.
When the sprouts poking up are about an inch high, take the pot into a cool dim room for a week or two. This allows growth to continue to ramp up at a gradual rate. Stems and flower buds should become evident. Water as needed.
Step Five: Move into the light.
At the end of the transition period, move your potted bulbs into a brighter room—and they'll bloom in 4 to 6 weeks. Keep the growing medium lightly moistened to fuel growth. Insert a slender stake if the stems are tall or top-heavy.
Step Six: Second chances.
When blooming is over, you can retire the spent exhausted bulbs to your compost pile. If you'd like to try saving them, however, allow the foliage to die back naturally, which transfers food reserves into the bulbs. Then plant them outdoors, once the ground and weather have warmed...and expect them to take a year off while they recover. (The exception is hybrid tulips—once forced, they do not bloom again.)