For those of us who must keep a hand in gardening even though the ground is frozen outdoors, there is nothing so enjoyable as paper-white narcissus. They are vigorous and do well in just water and pebbles.
Even if you live in a city apartment, you can easily force narcissus. All you have to do is keep the water level with the bulb’s base.
No feeding is necessary. The bulbs take care of themselves.
Tazetta Family: Paper-Whites
The paper-white is a member of the tazetta family of narcissus. It is tender and tends to bloom before cold weather passes.
This characteristic makes the paper-white especially desirable for early forcing.
Besides pure whites, these narcissus come in bicolors and solid golden yellows.
Narcissus Tazetta
The bicolor, known as Narcissus tazetta lacticatar, produces many small white fragrant flowers with lemon-colored cups.
In the pure whites, you may choose from four popular ones:
- Narcissus tazetta papyraceus,
- panizzianus,
- polyanthos, and
- canariensis.
The solid yellows, although not forced as much as the paper whites, are just as much fun to work with; they give a touch of sunlight that is doubly welcome in the winter.
My favorite yellow is ‘Soleil d’Or.’ There are several other good hybrids of this color from which to choose.
Planting Narcissus
If narcissus is planted in November or December, it will take 4 to 5 weeks to bloom.
If planted in late January, they will take 3 to 4 weeks. I like to begin forcing mine around the 15th of December so they will be in full bloom by the middle of January when the days seem dreary.
If you want continuous bloom until spring, start a set of bulbs every two weeks until the last of February.
How To Force Paper-Whites
Since paper whites do well in just water, all you need for forcing is a bowl at least 3 ½” inches deep and large enough to hold comfortably from 8 to 12 narcissus bulbs.
Materials For Bulb Forcing
You will also need a supply of stones, or similar objects, to place in the bottom of the bowl to which the roots may cling for support.
I always buy several boxes of colored pebbles especially packaged for bulb forcing.
These are inexpensive, make the work easier, Iook attractive in the planter, and provide a strong base for the bulbs.
If you wish, however, you may use other materials such as bulb fiber, coarse gravel, glass marbles, or small pebbles from a creek bed. All are satisfactory.
Pouring Pebbles in the Planting Bowl
My first step in forcing is to pour about 1 ½” inches of pebbles into the bottom of the planting bowl.
I then level them off and arrange the bulbs so that there is at least a half-inch of space around each (They need room for swelling.)
After the bulbs are in place, I pour in more pebbles until the bottom one-third of each bulb is buried.
The bulbs are not being placed as deeply as one might think. As they swell, the root systems force them upward until they are on top of the pebbles.
Pouring of Water into the Bowl
My next step is to pour water into the bowl until it just touches the bottoms of the bulbs.
After the planting, I place the bowl in a dark, cool room where temperatures stay around 50° degrees Fahrenheit. Here the bulbs sprout roots and begin top growth.
Keep an Eye on the Water Level
During this time, from 8 to 10 days, I keep an eye on the water level. Since growth is rapid, the bulbs may drink up the entire water supply in a short time.
When leaf shoots reach 4” inches. I bring the bulbs back into the light for a day, then place them in a sunny window.
Growth will be pale for a time, but a good color will develop after the plants have been in the window a few days.
Best for Forcing: South Window
A south window is best for forcing, although a cast exposure that receives several hours of morning sunlight will do as well.
Once you have placed your bulbs in the window, growth will become so rapid that you will actually be able to measure it from clay to day. Buds appear when foliage reaches about 6″ inches and bloom within 2 or 3 weeks.
Beautiful and Fragrant Blooms
The beautiful and fragrant blooms will be borne in clusters of 8 or more. Turn often so that the plants will be balanced on all sides.
If you live in the North, discard your bulbs after bloom. In the South, used for outdoor culture afterward.
One reader from Arkansas sends this information about the culture of paperwhites outdoors:
“We have always planted our bulbs in the yard after they are forced. Planted by the sun-bathed south wall of the house, they do well. Usually, by the middle of January, they are in full bloom. Last year the first paper-white flowers appeared on December 20.
A Christmas snow did not hurt them, and in early January, I counted 15 stalks in full bloom. I reside in Zone 7a see the Plant Hardiness Zone map in this issue. We occasionally have temperatures down to 6 or 10° degrees above 0, but they last only 1 or 2 days.”
44659 by Betty Brinhart