How to Grow Paperwhite Bulbs

This is a busy time of the year for all of us but I always try to find a place in my schedule for planting some bulbs not outside in my garden but inside. This is the Paperwhite Narcissus. It’s actually a form of a daffodil so to speak and it’s a bulb that will produce a living bouquet for your home. It’s all right here in this little brown wrapper a total package from nature. You see, the flower, stem, and leaves are already formed and it all it takes is time and a little water that coats it out. I try to plant paperwhites at two week intervals throughout the fall so I can have containers of them blooming constantly.

I also buy extra bulbs so I can have them blooming after the holidays. I just store them in my refrigerator until I’m ready to plant them. These bulbs will grow in anything. Nutrient really is an easy way when it comes to forcing them to flower. They’ll grow in sand, or gravel, or for that matter just plain water. But I prefer to use a basic potting soil. I packed as many bulbs as I can into a container and the soil will help anchor them. It will serve as a medium for sowing grass seed around them. The grass will provide a nice texture and the bright fresh green is always a welcome sight during the winter.

And with just a little water, this grass will germinate within a week and the paperwhites can be blooming within four weeks. If I want to accelerate that, all I have to do is put them in a warmer room with the brighter light. Water is critical. You want to keep the soil saturated around the bulbs because if they get too dry, it can keep them from flowering. From the garden, I’m Allen Smith.


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