By Teresa Opdycke
You open the December issue of your favorite home decorating magazine and sitting on a dining room table are a mass of beautiful, fresh white flowers growing from a clear glass bowl. The flowers look dramatic against the holiday red table runner and you fall in love with the look of elegant simplicity. Planning ahead will get you the natural look of crisp white paperwhites just in time for holiday entertaining. Paperwhites belong to the narcissus family as a tender bulb. Over the years, the small bulbs that produce several stems with up to 12 flowers on each stem, have become popular as a way to bring the outdoors in during the dead of winter and celebrate the holidays. Forcing is the method used to trick spring bulbs into blooming indoors to celebrate Christmas, or for a winter pick-me-up when the cold days of January seem too dark and too long.
The first thing you'll need to do is to pick up a container or two. The dish should be shallow and anywhere between 3 inches to 8 inches deep. You'll also need gravel or stones. Next it's off to the nursery or garden store to pick out paperwhite bulbs. Choose firm bulbs that have no soft spots. Keep the bulbs stored in a cool, dark area until you're ready to begin forcing.
Count back six weeks from the time you want your bulbs to be in bloom, and that's the time to plant. If you plant around November 11 and count six weeks, the little darlings should be making a showy appearance around the week of Christmas. The day arrives and you're ready to tuck the little bulbs in for a short nap before they wake up green with luxuriant white blooms.
Forcing Paperwhites
1. Place one to two inches of washed gravel or stones in the bottom of the shallow bowl.
2. You want a full bowl of paperwhites, so place each bulb, pointy end up, gently on the gravel nearly touching each other, but leaving a wee bit of breathing space.
3. Add more gravel or stones around the bulbs leaving at least 1/3 of the top of the bulb exposed. The gravel or stone holds the bulbs securely in place.
4. Water just to the bottom of the bulb. The base of the bulb should be touching water at all times. You'll need to water consistently to keep the level at this point.
5. There are two schools of thought when it comes to light or dark. You can try both and see which way works best for you.
- Place the container of bulbs in a sunny, south-exposed window where the temperature stays around 60-65 degrees.
- Place the bowl of bulbs in a dark, cool place for six weeks, watering as needed.
As the paperwhite begins to bloom keep it watered to extend the life of the flowers which usually last about 10 days. Paperwhites can only be forced once and if you live in zones 8-11 you can try planting the bulbs outside. Everyone else will have to discard them and force new bulbs next year.
The pure white of the paperwhites lends a snowy grace to holiday tables. Force three containers of the little narcissus for a dramatic show of fresh Christmas flair. Breathe in the fragrance, take in the beauty, and greet Christmas with the joy of paperwhites.
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