Paperwhites

By Sarah Van Arsdale

In November, the time is right to start planning for those bulbs to be blooming come mid-winter, but you haven't even gotten as far as looking up "Garden Supplies" in the phone book, and the last thing you want to face is a living room floor covered with dirt. Plus, isn't it simply too late at this point to get flower bulbs to bloom inside, and isn't it just a big pain in the neck?

Yes and no. There are many bulbs that you can "force" that require an initial cold stage: tulips, crocus, and several others need to first be placed in a paper bag then stowed away somewhere dark and dry and cool, like a barn.

Most of us don't have a place like that, and many of us aren't quite organized enough to "plant ahead." Back in balmy October, the last thing on your mind was how bleak the winter months were going to be, and how much some blooming bulbs might perk up the living room.

But there is one kind of bulb that's considered the fast and easy way to force a bloom: Narcissus Tarzetta. This is the narcissus that's also called "paperwhite," and it's the most commonly forced bulb, because it's so easy and so pretty. It's a member of the daffodil family, but looks much more delicate than the big yellow trumpet daffodils you see in people's yards in the spring.

The beauty of this bulb is that not only does it not need a cold period before forcing, in about four weeks there will be blooms. These are the most fragrant of the daffodil family, with a distinctive sweet smell; if you don't like the scent of these flowers, forget it, because the scent will permeate the room. Of course, if you do find the scent pleasing, and most people do, the scent will add to the spring-like atmosphere you're trying to create.

• Tip: The other good thing about paperwhites is that you don't even need any dirt. Just set them in a shallow dish with some pebbles, which can be bought at a garden store, or even some nicely-colored marbles. Let the bulbs stand, flat side down, in the pebbles, so the pebbles cover about half the bulb. Add a little water, put in a sunny window, and you'll start seeing sprouts after a couple of days.

Keep adding a little water every day; you don't want the bulbs to be too wet or they'll rot, so don't let the water level rise above the level of the pebbles, but you do want to keep the bottoms of the bulbs damp.

Because paperwhites grow to be between 12 and 18 inches high, you should stake them when they're about six inches high, so they don't flop over. Just plant a shish-ka-bob skewer into the pebbles and tie the stems to it.

The flowers last for about two months. So if you start them growing in late November, they'll start blooming in late January, and you'll have fragrant flowers in your home until the end of March, just in time to start believing that spring is on the way. When the blossoms start to brown around the edges, throw the whole business away, saving only the pebbles and the shallow dish for next year.

Reprinted with permission from the Sheffield School of Design.