Part of Advent in my childhood involved starting bulbs. Sometimes my mother would get ambitious and do amaryllis or hyacinths, but paperwhites were the standby because you just had to add water. In the first days, they would send down white roots from their papery husks. Then the green sprout would poke up from the top, then the long leaves, and finally the clusters of fragrant white flowers.
Garden stores should carry paperwhite bulbs this time of year, and some florists do too. They cost about a dollar each.
How to grow paperwhites indoors:
Get a container (I use a glass vase or a mason jar). Put a few inches of rocks or marbles in the bottom. Set the bulbs on top of the rocks, pointy end up. Pour water into the container until it touches the bottom of the bulbs. You don't want the whole bulb submerged, or it will rot. Place the container in a spot where it gets some light. Add more water as needed in the coming weeks so the roots stay submerged.
In four to six weeks, you'll have flowers. I get my paperwhites started around this time of year so I have them in January. I also get jars started and give them as Christmas presents.
I'm leaving so many questions for you... :-/
ReplyDeleteI'd already been wanting to grow something that blooms over the winter, so this was perfect timing for me! I bought some paperwhite bulbs, but they came in a box with a pot & soil, and stuff. I like Mason jars better though, so I could just put rocks in the bottom of a large one (maybe quart-size?), and I don't need soil?
You definitely don't need soil.
ReplyDeleteMy one mistake was once using marbles that included a metal ball-bearing. It rusted and made the jar all nasty.