Treat Yourself to Spring Blooms in Winter

Julia Such a fun way to add color to your home....thanks for the tutorial!

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia This is fabulous, I must try this! Thanks for the tutorial, so wonderful to see you here!

stephanieclark Absolutely fabulous! Thanks for the great tips!

Decor Adventures Great instructions and these are so pretty indoors. I've always wanted to try these, now I will!

gknee I force grow paperwhites every year so they will be ready for Christmas. So easy to do with beautiful results and they smell amazing.

dhernek Here is a tip I learned this year... Once you have 2-3" of green growth on your paper whites, start using a 4-5% drinking alcohol solution in place of tap water when you water. That's right! Use a one part alcohol to 20 parts water solution when you water, once the plants have 2-3" of green shoots. This keeps the stems compact without affecting the beauty or scent of the blooms. For the first time I do not need to tie my flowers and they are not toppling over. I used tequila. Vodka or gin are also recommended.

susan duane Great tip, I'll be sure to try that next time i do this. Thank you!

Dear Lillie What a wonderful article, Susan! Love your dining room!

claireyun We did the same in the south of China ( province Canton) for the Chinese new year!

Kristen Schaus Way to go Susan! I am so proud of you!

lnyberg I got some paper whites as a Christmas gift from one of my Kindergarten students this year and was wondering if you can keep the bulbs from year to year and reuse them? I love this idea so much as a gift, I will be doing it for my family next year for Christmas.

susan duane Hello, I found this information about reusing the bulbs http://www.ehow.com/how_6457885_reuse-paperwhite-bulbs.html

Kenn Gaither I actually have a pot of these in my home office/guest room every December. This year my better half bought the bulbs in November and planted them in my sunny room. They were in full bloom by mid December and coincided with the week JD was away....So even when he's not here I'm reminded of how much I'm loved...Thanks, Honey.

julianasma Beautiful ideas

Sudha Looks so beautiful. Can this be grown in Chennai, India, where the weather is hot most of the year. December and January its not hot but pleasant, 84 degrees F. So wish i could try this now, if i can procure the bulb locally. Thanks for this wonderful feature/article.

colorbox I have never done this with Paperwhites; Thanks for the how-to.

Cabell Design Studio Beautiful ideas, thank you!

lorirobinson Not to be the Debbie downer here, but are there other bulbs besides the paperwhites that bloom? They smell terrible to my family and the odor was so strong no one wanted to be in the same room with them, not to mention eating with them. My grandson's exact words, "Ewwww G-ma what's that stinky smell?" I love indoor flowers and need green in the house for winter, what else could I use?

Cabell Design Studio Paper white fragrance is also rather obnoxious to my three boys. Instead, in the past I've had lots of luck with tulips (although they do take a while longer) and amaryllis. Good luck!

cathybb You make it sound so easy. Thank you for the inspiration.

toenning I'm trying a new growing technique this year. One part vodka or gin and 8 parts water. It's supposed to make the paper whites shorter and sturdier with out affecting the size of the blossom. It keeps them from falling over from being top heavy. Google paper whites and alcohol for more information. Developed at Cornell.

lilion Paperwhites are lovely, but I don't understand how anyone can get past the smell. I grew some one year and after a day or so of bloom I began searching my house for the source of the smell. I thought someone was spraying insecticide...it smelled just like Raid...and it was strong; you could smell it all over the house. I couldn't believe it when I realized it was the flowers. Eventually the beautiful blossoms went in the dumpster. I may have to try tulips this year. I wonder if other bulbs could be used?

itsmeleisa Sudha, I grow these every year here in Florida indoors and the temps in Dec are in low 80's, similar to you. Good luck, and enjoy them, they smell wonderful!

lilion Different strokes I guess. :) They are beautiful, so I suppose everyone should try them once. If you hate the smell like me, you'll never do it again. But if you like it, then you'll have a new flower to brighten your home.

Design Solutions toenning I am curious to hear your results with the solution. I heard if you add a solution of 4 - 6% alcohol it will prevent them from getting too tall also. keep us posted!

Mercy Me Love the look of paperwhites, but cannot abide the pungent smell. Instead, I force amaryllis bulbs at this time of the year. I've got three bulbs in one large cachepot: they should produce rapturous red blossoms by Christmas or New Year's. Their stunning beauty more than compensates for the lack of a pleasant smell.

Diana Milock Do tulips need a chill time? How long after planting will they bloom?

frenchdecor Mercy me could you please tell me if you remember how long amaryllis takes from planting to bloom? I'd like to have them by Christmas or New Year, is that possible? Thank you.

lorirobinson Thanks all! Tulips it is!

priyanka_gupta Thanks for this idea. .Since so long I was thinking of growing something inside house & Your tutorial made it so easy....I will surely try and put my feedback again
.

~Cheers

graceab great waybto keep it natural

Barbara Dixon I've done the paperwhites before and not only was it easy, but they have a wonderful fragrance!

Sudha There are mixed comments regarding the fragrance. If i can get hold of the bulb in India i will definitely try to grow them. It looks so beautiful. Not seen it actually in my part of the world. If at all we dont like the fragrance we can put it in the balcony/ near a open window so it mixes with the air outside but still we can view the flowers.
Wondering what othe bulbs I can try.. will google out, but any information here will help. Thanks !
A confession - never seen plants grow on pebbles. Here we grow them on soil and for some ornamental plants / succulents we cover the top soil with pebbles for decoration :-)

Mercy Me Hi, French Decor: my experience has been that it takes about 4 - 5 weeks to fully bloom out. I think it depends on how much the bulb has already sprouted when you get it. I have had excellent results with boxed amaryllis kits bought at Walmart. Yeah, go figure.

The kits are a Dutch product, originating in Israel. They are $5. each for a healthy specimen that comes with a small pot and planting soil. They need 4-6 hours a day of bright light, but not direct sunlight, in a room that stays about 70 to 75 degrees F. I place mine in the breakfast nook of my kitchen near a bay window, which faces east. So far, so good!

Good luck! If you start this week, you just might have them blooming in time for Christmas.

Barbara Loyd I bought bulbs that already have 2-3" sprouts, but no roots. Shall I pot them up and keep in the dark or let them stay near the window? I especially like the milk glass with the paperwhites and will find some of mine to use. Thank you for the great ideas.

Paintings by Kirsten Elizabeth Gilmore The bulb kits we've tried have never worked, so I'm thankful for the DIY version. Would daffodils or crocuses work for this in place of paperwhites?