by Gail Seymour

Created on: July 07, 2010

Unlike most of the larger narcissus varieties, paper whites, which naturally grow in warmer climates, do not need a cold snap to stimulate flower growth. So if you want to force bulbs without having to figure out when to put them in the fridge, cold frame or other chilly spot, paper whites are one of your best options to start out with.

As such, you can plant paper white narcissus bulbs up as soon as you can get hold of them, and have them flowering cozily indoors whatever the weather outside. The flowers generally last for around two to three weeks, so if you want a permanent display throughout the winter, plant them up at spaced intervals. One good way to do this is to plant them in plain trays and display them in a decorative dish. That way when one tray is spent, all you need to do is swap it for the next, and move the old tray to somewhere the foliage can die back naturally.

First, make sure your bulbs are all firm and fleshy, have no bruises, and no air pockets or mushy bits that give when you squeeze them between your thumb and forefinger.

Next, select a suitable container. You can either use a pot with drainage holes if you are going to grow your bulbs in soil, or a decorative dish or bowl with no holes if you are going to grow them in water. The bulbs don’t need soil, as all the energy they need to flower is already in the bulb.

Planting narcissus bulbs for forcing

Place a few pebbles or a layer of gravel on the bottom of the pot then half fill it with soil. Place the bulbs in the pot pointed side up, so that their noses just peek above the rim of the pot. You don’t need to leave space between the bulbs, as they are not going to stay in the pot after flowering.

Once you have packed the bulbs into the pot quite tightly, fill the gaps between them with compost, sand, soil, or decorative pebbles, leaving the tips showing through the surface. Give them a drink, then leave them in a dark cool spot for a couple of weeks, around 50-60°F.

Once the shoots begin to grow, move the pot into a bright warm spot, but keep them out of direct sunlight for the best results. Water regularly and don’t allow the soil to dry out completely, but don’t leave the bulbs in standing water or they will rot.

Paper whites tend to become top heavy, especially the more heavily flowering varieties, when grown in close quarters like this. You can prevent them leaning over too much by corralling them in with garden canes or bamboo, or you could try a trick

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