Written by Barbara Gee
In the deep drear of winter, just when you think you’ll never see another bloom again, you need not despair. You can continue to delight in new blooms by growing bulbs indoors. The two most common are the flamboyant Amaryllis and the delicate Narcissus known as “Paperwhites”. All you really have to do is put them in a container with stones, pebbles or soil, and water. Voilla! – flowers in no time.
The process is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, except the other way around. You plant the bulbs – ugly brown “onions” – and wait! You water periodically, stare at them occasionally, and wonder if anything’s going to happen. Then you wake up one morning and notice a tip of green white at the top of the bulb. After that there’s no stopping them! Nothing is quite so spectacular as seeing your winter bulbs bloom. It’s one of those moments when you know you’ll never stop gardening – driven on by the desire to see more of these miracles.
Amaryllis and Paperwhites are the very easiest of things to coax into bloom. There really is nothing to it. Pick your container, pick your growing medium, keep the water constant and place in the sun. If you’ve chosen a transparent container you get two pleasures for the price of one because you can also see the roots grow.
If you want instant blooms, or maybe you need a quick gift, you can purchase bulbs already planted by the garden center.
CHOOSING THE FLOWERS
The choice really comes down to what you like: Amaryllis – bold and buxom or Paperwhites – sweet and petite. But why settle for just one when you can have both. There are more choices of Amaryllis but there are also different Paperwhites to choose from although many garden centers don’t carry more than one or two. Just be sure to select healthy bulbs – they should not be too dry or wet. If dry they may be lifeless. If wet they could be rotting. Examine each bulb. Some will already have shoots some may not – this is not an indication of their health but rather how far along they are in growth.
Amaryllis
Most Amaryllis are in the red, orange, white, pink or apricot range; some are multi-colored or striped and all have wonderful names like: Naughty Lady, Clown, Ludwig Dazzler…
— Large Amaryllis grow to about 22-24” in height and produce 2-3 stems with 4-6 flowers on each stem.
— Double Amaryllis are the same height as the Large but they produce double flowers so 4-6 flowers actually looks like 8-12 flowers.
— Dwarf Amaryllis reach about 12-16” in height and can produce up to 18 flowers from one bulb, although the flowers are smaller.
Paperwhite Narcissus
Paperwhite Narcissus are usually white but you can also find yellow ones which isn’t surprising since the Narcissus family is the family of daffodils and jonquils.
The differences, apart from color, is in the height range: 12” to 16” and the number of flower stems per bulb: 1-3. All have pretty star-shaped or trumpet-shaped white flowers with a sweet fragrance.
If you are not able to plant the bulbs immediately after bringing them home, or if they are not showing any shoots, put them somewhere cool and dark (40-50°F) until they have sprouted – maybe a week at most. When you want to plant them soak the root area for a couple of hours to soften up the roots.
PLANTING
The container. Choose any kind of container – shallow glass or ceramic bowl, tall clear glass flower vase, a wine glass, terracotta pot, tin can – you name it you can use it which is part of the fun. The potting medium is the same for both – either an attractive gravel, pretty stones or pebbles used alone, or a good potting soil moistened – not both together. If you use soil it should be moist not soggy then plant the bulbs as you would any other potted plant.
Planting. Plant the bulbs to about two-thirds their depth in either growing medium leaving the top third exposed. Be careful how many Amaryllis you put in one container only because of weight considerations – they can be heavy when full grown. But if your pot is big and heavy enough then put in as many as will fit – they don’t mind being crowded. The same is true for Paperwhites. You can put one on its own, or grouped. If potted in soil a little spaghnum moss over the top hides the soil and gives the container an attractive finished look.
Adding water. If in gravel, stones or pebbles add water to half the bulbs depth – do not submerge them. If planting in soil just keep it moist. Then simply put the container in the sun – a sunny windowsill works very well. They like a temperature of 60-70°F
CARE
There is no care involved. Just keep the containers watered and in the sun. . Resist the temptation to overwater. Keep the bulbs moist not wet or they will rot. You can snip off dead blossoms and if you’re lucky maybe fresh blooms will come.
AFTER-CARE
Amaryllis
When the plant has stopped flowering cut the flower off and when the stem gets soft cut it back to the bulb. Water it and fertilize through the summer and it will start to grow again in the fall. You won’t get a bloom at this time so when the leaves turn yellow cut the plant back to the bulb and remove the bulb from the soil. Clean the dirt off handling the roots gently. Place in a cool, dark place (40-50°F) for not less than 6 weeks. Then go through the same process as above to force blooms.
Paperwhite Narcissus
When the flowers start to shrivel and become papery cut them off. Wait until the stems start to become yellow and soft and cut them back to the base. Do not cut the leaves off. Continue to keep the container watered and in the sun. You can then plant your Paperwhites outside. You can cut the leaves off at this point. It may take 2-3 years before you see blooms, but you will.
A Choice Selection of Indoor Winter Bulbs
Amaryllis:
Large Amaryllis Minerva – orangey red with white center
Appleblossom – blush pink with white
Clown – broad red stripes on white
Double Amaryllis Ragtime – bright orange red
Lady Jane – salmon rose with white
Rainbow – white with strong pink markings
Dwarf Amaryllis Misty – mauve tipped with white
Girafe – red markings on white
Green Goddess – white with green center
Paperwhite Narcissus:
Ziva strong fragrance, 15”-16” height, 1-2 stems per bulb
Ariel strong fragrance, 14”-15” height, 2-3 stems per bulb
Inball lighter fragrance, 12”-13” height, 2 stems per bulb
In the deep drear of winter, just when you think you’ll never see another bloom again, you need not despair. You can continue to delight in new blooms by growing bulbs indoors. The two most common are the flamboyant Amaryllis and the delicate Narcissus known as “Paperwhites”. All you really have to do is put them in a container with stones, pebbles or soil, and water. Voilla! – flowers in no time.
The process is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, except the other way around. You plant the bulbs – ugly brown “onions” – and wait! You water periodically, stare at them occasionally, and wonder if anything’s going to happen. Then you wake up one morning and notice a tip of green white at the top of the bulb. After that there’s no stopping them! Nothing is quite so spectacular as seeing your winter bulbs bloom. It’s one of those moments when you know you’ll never stop gardening – driven on by the desire to see more of these miracles.
Amaryllis and Paperwhites are the very easiest of things to coax into bloom. There really is nothing to it. Pick your container, pick your growing medium, keep the water constant and place in the sun. If you’ve chosen a transparent container you get two pleasures for the price of one because you can also see the roots grow.
If you want instant blooms, or maybe you need a quick gift, you can purchase bulbs already planted by the garden center.
CHOOSING THE FLOWERS
The choice really comes down to what you like: Amaryllis – bold and buxom or Paperwhites – sweet and petite. But why settle for just one when you can have both. There are more choices of Amaryllis but there are also different Paperwhites to choose from although many garden centers don’t carry more than one or two. Just be sure to select healthy bulbs – they should not be too dry or wet. If dry they may be lifeless. If wet they could be rotting. Examine each bulb. Some will already have shoots some may not – this is not an indication of their health but rather how far along they are in growth.
Amaryllis
Most Amaryllis are in the red, orange, white, pink or apricot range; some are multi-colored or striped and all have wonderful names like: Naughty Lady, Clown, Ludwig Dazzler…
— Large Amaryllis grow to about 22-24” in height and produce 2-3 stems with 4-6 flowers on each stem.
— Double Amaryllis are the same height as the Large but they produce double flowers so 4-6 flowers actually looks like 8-12 flowers.
— Dwarf Amaryllis reach about 12-16” in height and can produce up to 18 flowers from one bulb, although the flowers are smaller.
Paperwhite Narcissus
Paperwhite Narcissus are usually white but you can also find yellow ones which isn’t surprising since the Narcissus family is the family of daffodils and jonquils.
The differences, apart from color, is in the height range: 12” to 16” and the number of flower stems per bulb: 1-3. All have pretty star-shaped or trumpet-shaped white flowers with a sweet fragrance.
If you are not able to plant the bulbs immediately after bringing them home, or if they are not showing any shoots, put them somewhere cool and dark (40-50°F) until they have sprouted – maybe a week at most. When you want to plant them soak the root area for a couple of hours to soften up the roots.
PLANTING
The container. Choose any kind of container – shallow glass or ceramic bowl, tall clear glass flower vase, a wine glass, terracotta pot, tin can – you name it you can use it which is part of the fun. The potting medium is the same for both – either an attractive gravel, pretty stones or pebbles used alone, or a good potting soil moistened – not both together. If you use soil it should be moist not soggy then plant the bulbs as you would any other potted plant.
Planting. Plant the bulbs to about two-thirds their depth in either growing medium leaving the top third exposed. Be careful how many Amaryllis you put in one container only because of weight considerations – they can be heavy when full grown. But if your pot is big and heavy enough then put in as many as will fit – they don’t mind being crowded. The same is true for Paperwhites. You can put one on its own, or grouped. If potted in soil a little spaghnum moss over the top hides the soil and gives the container an attractive finished look.
Adding water. If in gravel, stones or pebbles add water to half the bulbs depth – do not submerge them. If planting in soil just keep it moist. Then simply put the container in the sun – a sunny windowsill works very well. They like a temperature of 60-70°F
CARE
There is no care involved. Just keep the containers watered and in the sun. . Resist the temptation to overwater. Keep the bulbs moist not wet or they will rot. You can snip off dead blossoms and if you’re lucky maybe fresh blooms will come.
AFTER-CARE
Amaryllis
When the plant has stopped flowering cut the flower off and when the stem gets soft cut it back to the bulb. Water it and fertilize through the summer and it will start to grow again in the fall. You won’t get a bloom at this time so when the leaves turn yellow cut the plant back to the bulb and remove the bulb from the soil. Clean the dirt off handling the roots gently. Place in a cool, dark place (40-50°F) for not less than 6 weeks. Then go through the same process as above to force blooms.
Paperwhite Narcissus
When the flowers start to shrivel and become papery cut them off. Wait until the stems start to become yellow and soft and cut them back to the base. Do not cut the leaves off. Continue to keep the container watered and in the sun. You can then plant your Paperwhites outside. You can cut the leaves off at this point. It may take 2-3 years before you see blooms, but you will.
A Choice Selection of Indoor Winter Bulbs
Amaryllis:
Large Amaryllis Minerva – orangey red with white center
Appleblossom – blush pink with white
Clown – broad red stripes on white
Double Amaryllis Ragtime – bright orange red
Lady Jane – salmon rose with white
Rainbow – white with strong pink markings
Dwarf Amaryllis Misty – mauve tipped with white
Girafe – red markings on white
Green Goddess – white with green center
Paperwhite Narcissus:
Ziva strong fragrance, 15”-16” height, 1-2 stems per bulb
Ariel strong fragrance, 14”-15” height, 2-3 stems per bulb
Inball lighter fragrance, 12”-13” height, 2 stems per bulb