Bulb Forcing | Paperwhite Narcissus

 

Bulb forcing is one of those projects that I have always wanted to do.  I love that you can see all of the bulb growth before your eyes, it is fascinating. Up until recently I have been too intimidated try.  I get really sad and effected when I kill plants, I feel like I let them down.  Haha! And I've killed many in my day. But I got the urge for gardening super early this year, so off to the library I went to read about bulbs! From all the books I checked out it seemed to be a fairly easy project.  And indeed it is!

 

I had a bunch of left over mason jars from our wedding last summer, and thought they would be the perfect containers for this project.  Once you pick a container you like, just add rocks, bulbs, and water. Some other bulbs that I read about that are great (and by great, I mean easy) for bulb forcing besides Paper White Narcissus are Amaryllis, Iris Reticulata, and Grape Hyacinth.

 

When pouring in the water, make sure that the waterline just hits the bottom of the bulb.  This will promote the roots to grow, and prevent your bulb from rotting.

  

It didn't take long before the roots started emerging! I was tickled to see them root down and begin to sprouted up!

After 4 weeks all but three of the 20 bulbs I forced were in full bloom.  It was the first taste of spring around our house, and they filled our home with a beautiful welcoming fragrance.