Written by : Ingrid
Hi everyone. I’m back again for another try at this blogging thing! First of all, I want to thank all those who responded to my last blog with such lovely, encouraging comments. It has spurred me on to do another!
I’m still thinking about all the wonderful things we can do to bring the outdoors in, especially to cheer up our homes during the dull, grey days of winter, which are just around the corner! You’ve likely tried your hand or at least heard about the art of fooling Spring flowering bulbs to flower indoors during the winter months. It’s a simple and fun way to bring those gorgeous and often fragrant flowers into bloom before they normally would. Who would ever have thought that Mother Nature could be tricked so easily!
Forcing basically means that you are tricking the bulbs into thinking that it’s already Spring. You do this by planting them, putting them in a cool, dark place for a period of time, then bring them gradually into the light and warmth (all the things they’d expect in the Springtime!) and that spurs them into growing roots and shoots! The length of time you leave them in the cool area is dependent on what type of bulb you are trying to force. Some bulbs come already “prepared” and if so, the length of time they need this cooling period is shorter. They will always advertise these bulbs as indoor forcing bulbs. Most nurseries and garden centres also have lots of information on forcing bulbs as well as time periods to cool them.
First of all, you have to decide what kind of flowers you’d like to have blooming indoors during winter. There are the traditional Amaryllis and Paperwhites for Christmas decorating, and these are certainly worth growing. You can also grow other types of daffodils, as well as crocus and tulips. Of course, another favourite is the Hyacinth flower, which not only looks spectacular, but has a heavenly perfume. Virtually any Spring flowering bulb can be forced, but not all of them do as well inside because we heat our homes and this can lead to a quick demise of the flowers. Those that are more tricky are tulips and crocus, as they need quite a cool environment to sustain their flowers. So, you have to decide – hmmm, either we all freeze indoors so that these flowers continue to look great, or we keep the crocus and tulips for the outdoors!
I visited my local nursery this morning and picked up some bulbs to force. I have stuck to the good old tried-and-true varieties to avoid disappointment! Unfortunately, the Amaryllis bulbs were not in yet, but I will start with the Hyacinths, Paperwhites, Tete-a-Tete Daffodils and Erlicheer Narcissus bulbs. Except for the Tete-a-Tete Daffs, the others are all “prepared”. We’ll follow their progress in the future and I’ll keep you posted with photographs. It’s important to choose nice plump, unmarked bulbs that feel very firm. September and October are perfect months to choose your bulbs as they are all just in and hopefully haven’t been picked over too much yet.
Choosing containers will depend on whether you are planting the bulbs in soil or setting them on top of other non-soil material. If you are planting in soil, which you should do with Amaryllis for example, then you need a pot with a drainage hole. You can plant in cheap plastic pots that will fit into more decorative containers once the bulbs are ready to flower. Otherwise, read on to see how you can grow them without any soil at all! Either way, the container needs to be deep enough to handle the mass of roots that will grow from the base of the bulb. Here are some containers that I found in our store and are perfect for bulb forcing:
This is a container that belonged to my husband’s Grandmother on his Mom’s side, so it’s about 100 years old and very precious to us. His Grandmother used it every Christmas to grow her Paperwhites in, so that’s what I do too. I love the look on my Mom-in-law’s face when she sees it every year with it’s gorgeous pure white scented flowers.
My Dad bought me this container. It’s from Delft in Holland, where my parents are from, and has sentimental value to me. It’s really perfect for bulbs.
Next, you need some material that will anchor the bulbs and give the roots something to hang onto when the heavy flower stems are at their peak. Usually, you would plant bulbs in potting soil in a pot or container that has drainage holes. This mix acts as an anchor as well as holding moisture that the bulbs need to grow. The drainage hole is very important when you plant in potting soil, as it will allow excess water to escape. The soil will hold only what it can and then release the rest through the holes. This way, your bulbs and their roots will not “drown” and rot. This is most important with anything you plant in pots, not only bulbs.
Another way to “plant” indoor forcing bulbs such as the one’s I purchased this morning – is to use containers without any drainage holes, fill them with material such as pebbles in mixed or plain colours, glass beads, marbles, decorative rocks or anything that will support the bulbs and their incredible roots! The bulbs are simply placed (pointed tip up) on top of this material and then you need to fill the container with water so that it just touches the bulbs’ bottoms. It’s really important that the water never cover the bulbs, because it will result very quickly in the bulbs rotting. The water will moisten the base of the bulbs just enough to encourage the roots to sprout and seek the water through all the pebbles, thus anchoring the developing bulbs and their flower stems. In no time at all, you will be able to see this happening.
Once the bulbs have been planted, keep the containers in a cool, dark place – either an unheated basement, garage or under a porch where they are protected from the elements but kept cool, whilst they are growing. You can place boxes over the top of them to keep them in the dark until they are ready to be brought into more light. This stops them from growing too fast as well as preventing the budding stems from getting too long before they actually bloom. Once the shoots are about 2-3 inches(5-7.5cm – as my husband tells me!) tall and I can see that the roots are well developed (usually around 6 weeks) I bring them indoors and set them in a cool room until the flower buds are fat and almost ready to open. Each day, I do a quarter turn of the container, so that the plants, which naturally bend in search of the light, will grow evenly. Once the flowers are almost opening, move them to a sunny, bright window in the house where you can enjoy them. You’ll find that paperwhites naturally get very long and will need some sort of staking. Do you remember me showing you a picture of the “tortured” hazelnut branches in my last blog? Well, they also give structural beauty to an arrangement of flowering bulbs, as well as acting as support for the growing stems. You can use these, or other twigs and branches to help support your flower stems. Hyacinths also get very heavy when they are in full bloom, so some kind of staking for them should also be considered.
When the bulbs are finished flowering, you can plant them in the garden but be aware that they probably won’t re-bloom for a few years. I usually throw my forced bulbs out, as I’d rather save the room they’d take up for something else. As you gardeners out there know, space in the garden is precious! I already have “onefootitis” where I want to expand the flower beds every year by just another foot, so I can squeeze in another treasured plant!
There’s a lot of information on various websites as well as at your local nursery or garden centre, regarding forcing indoor bulbs if you are in search of more information. The main thing is to have fun, be creative and use your imagination! I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions. Find out what you have discovered in doing your own indoor bulb displays. Until next time…. happy planting!
