Just one more day until Thanksgiving break! A chance to photograph and upload my newest projects and get things together!
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Today is so nice and warm and sunny! It's really unseasonal but I'm not complaining!! It's nice to wear a pair of shorts and a t-shirt again. My paperwhites on the windowsill have five bloom clusters now. They're nearly 18" tall by now! Such pretty little things. White with very green leaves. I've got them in glass jars so you can see all the roots - so cool!! Super easy to grow! Here's a how-to:
Paperwhites/narcissus/daffodils are so easy to grow and forcing them in the fall or winter lets you enjoy a bit of Spring early!! Bulbs can be found in any store or nursery during the fall or spring. If you can't seem to find any, ordering online would be your best bet.
You will need:
Paperwhite bulbs
rocks or soil (or nothing ;) )
small pots and saucers OR glass jars (which look cool)
Step one
Prepare your pots or jars.
Place pot/jar on windowsill or near sunlight (preferably inside!!), the more sun the better. My plants have grown very well with sun from about noon til evening. I set them on a windowsill and rotated them every so often.
Pot
Fill pot with a few inches of good potting soil. (just water and rocks and water work better in jars)
Place bulbs on TOP of the soil, fat side down. :) With Paperwhite bulbs, the tops taper to a skinny point, so be sure you don't put them upside-down! Put them close - but not touching!
Grab more soil and cover the bulbs about half-way. A good portion of the bulbs themselves should still be visible.
Water! Be careful not to overwater. Pots are better with drainage, but you don't want a puddle on your windowsill.
Jar
With jars you have three options: just water and bulbs, rocks and bulbs, and soil. For the first all you need is a nice glass jar (cheap at a craft store) and your bulbs. Simply place the bulbs close - but not touching at the bottom and fill with an inch or two of water!
For the second - rocks and water - you need a jar, rocks, and your bulbs. Put a small layer of rocks in your jar. Place the bulbs - close but not touching. Surround with more rocks so bulbs are half covered. Fill with water to the top of rocks.
*With water only or rocks n water make sure you don't get water into the tops of the bulbs until after you have good leaves!! They might get rot!!!*
The last I find works best without fail. You'll need a jar, some good soil, and your bulbs. Fill your jar with a shallow layer of soil. Place bulbs close, but not touching. Fill in with soil until your bulbs are half covered. Give them a nice watering!
*Water your watering. Jars don't have good drainage so use minimal watering!!!*
In jars, you can watch all those roots grow!! Whether they're in pots or jars, Paperwhites will be a lovely addition to your room. They have a strong fragrance too! (Doesn't take long to get used to if you don't like it anyway) They're good for cut flowers however if you've got them in a lovely container already, no need! :)
If you want to pollenate your Paperwhites, you can use your finger or a cotton swab to brush pollen onto the little stigma and style (white tube-like thing). Try to mix your flowers' pollen for better breeding. The seeds will develop in the little green bases of your flowers.
*It can take up to 5 years to grow from seeds! However, bulbs can be used from season to season!*
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Hope your Paperwhites grow into lovely blooms!! :)
♥ Sam
