We love: Paperwhite Narcissus Bulbs
Posted:7 December 2014
We love this beautiful tall and elegant narcissus – they can be grown indoor or outdoor and produce an avalanche of sweetly scented flowers. It’s too late now to plant outdoors (plant outdoors Sept-Oct), but they make stunning indoor displays, so plant up some bowls now and they’ll be flowering in about 8 weeks.
Paper White bulbs can be planted in soil, stones, pebbles or glass marbles – just so long as they are firmly anchored and can access a little water. Follow our simple instructions:
- Select a container that is about 3-4” (8-10cm) deep – it doesn’t have to have drainage holes
- Spread 1-2” (4cm) of compost, stones, marbles or even gravel, along the bottom of the container
- Position the bulbs, pointed end up, on top of the stone layer, and gently press in
- Add another layer of stones to fill in any gaps and cover the bulbs up to their shoulders – the pointed tip should be just showing
- They will need water to start the growing process – water enough for bottom of bulb to be touching water
- The bulbs don’t need light at this point and they prefer to be kept on the cool side, at about 65 degrees F (18 degrees C)
- Check your bulbs daily to see if they need more water
- When you see roots developing, move the container to a sunny window – the sunnier the better, but try not to let them get too warm or they’ll grow leggy
- Once the plants flower, they will last longer if moved out of direct sunlight, to a cool spot with indirect or diffused light
- Use twigs (birch) pressed into the oil or gravel to support growth of leaves and stems
Main image: whatgrowsthere.com
Bulbs image: tania.blogs.com
Glass jars: puddingstonepost.com