Growing Paperwhites for the Holidays

Paperwhite Flower Bulbs

Truth be told, you can probably grow Paperwhites all year long assuming you can get your hands on the bulbs. Paperwhites are delicate white flowers that remind me of daffodils only a little smaller is size.  My mom first introduced me to them years ago at her house one Christmas holiday, before I really got into gardening. I’ve since seen them in the grocery story starting just before Thanksgiving and gave it a go last year first buying them already started from the grocery store and then after the Holidays decided to give them ago again only this time me growing them from scratch. That first experiment didn’t work so well because the pot I bought for it had holes in the bottom so I couldn’t maintain a consistent water level. 

Lesson learned and this year I’m using glass rectangular and circular vases for the first sets of flowers and then decided to experiment yet again with single bulbs in bud vases to see if I can grow them without the loose stones. For this post though I will focus on the correct way to grow Paperwhites indoors. These dainty little beauties are a wonderful addition to your holiday décor or just to brighten up a windowsill. To force the bulbs to bloom all you need to do is the following:

A shallow pot, bowl, or vase (3-4 inches deep – although mine are deeper) – without drainage holes! I learned that one the hard way…

Fill the pot with small, loose stones.

Gently place the bulbs upright in the container pressing them, root side into the stones.

Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the bulbs.

If your bulbs don’t already have green sprouts showing, you them in a cool, dark room for 4-6 weeks. Move to a cool and sunny place when the shoots begin to sprout. I purchase my bulbs at City Floral in Denver, and they usually already have little green sprouts showing so I don’t do this step.

Here is a tip, I just came across that I’m going to try as in the past my Paperwhites do tend to grow very tall and then flop over. According to ‘Miracle Grow’ to prevent your flowers from growing too tall and flopping over you need to give them a good stiff drink! Yes, friends apparently bulbs grown in water with a 5% concentration of alcohol bloom beautifully on stems 1/3 shorter than Paperwhites grown in unspiked water! Most clear liquors are about 40% alcohol (80 proof), so that works out to 1 part liquor to 7 parts water. 

So, there you go! Share a drink with your bulbs and enjoy their natural beauty over the holiday seasons!