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Nurseries often feature pots of blooming bulbs before the winter holidays. Check with nurseries for paper white narcissus. White as snowdrifts, these bulbs form a ball of fragrant flowers on top of a stem surrounded by green, strap-like leaves.
You may also see boxes of paper white narcissus bulbs waiting to be planted. The bulbs, wrapped in natural shiny brown tunics, show firm white sprouts coming out the top and are immediately ready to grow. They bloom in about 5 weeks from planting. Planting them now, in the week before Christmas, results in flowers to brighten the early weeks of the new year. Unlike other members of the genus, the paper white narcissus, Narcissus tazetta and its cultivars blooms rapidly when planted now and grown at normal home temperatures.
Planting paper whites is simple. These are sometimes grown in shallow bowls of gravel, but the plants don't receive enough support with this method, and often topple over. Choose a standard nursery pot, terra cotta or plastic, with good drainage. A pot 6 inches in diameter looks good with 3 bulbs in it. About 5 bulbs fit well in an 8-inch pot.
Fill the pot 2/3 up with any well-drained potting soil. Don't add gravel or grit to the bottom of the pot. Water the soil well. The bulbs won't grow well if there are dry pockets in the material. Settle the bulbs on top of the partially filled pot, then cover them up to the shoots. Shoots will poke out of the soil. Water well, again, and set the pot in a dark spot inside the house for 4 or 5 days. Rooting will begin..
After the brief, warm dark spell, potted paper white narcissus will thrive in bright light, it's a joy to watch them green up and develop buds. Full bloom is 4 to 5 weeks after planting.. The cooler the pot is kept, the longer the flowers will last. They can manage outdoor temperatures as low as 35 degrees F., so it's possible to set them outside on balconies, porches, or decks to prolong the bloom. The principle is exactly the same as taking care of cut lowers --florists keep cut flowers in refrigerators because they last longer. After bloom, the plants can be set out in a garden, but they often don't survive the winter. Most of us treat them as annuals in this climate.
The huge bulbs commonly sold as amaryllis, often as large as two fists held together, sometimes baffle indoor gardeners. They are, botanically, Hippeastrum, a name that is derived from the Greek for "knight" and "star." Certainly the vigorous emerging stems of resembles a spear or lance, and the flowers are star-shaped. These bulbs, native to South Africa, appreciate warm indoor temperatures. They do not want to shiver on the front porch as the paper white narcissus will happily do.
The modern hybrids that are sold for holiday bloom can be found pre-potted, but it's easy, and economical, to pot these. Choose a pot with good drainage that is close to the size of the bulb. Hippeastrum do better in pots with about one inch of room between the bulb and the edge of the pot. Be sure to allow enough depth for the long, tangled roots. So a pot that is deeper than it's wide works best for these. Use any good, well-drained potting soil mix. Hold the bulb in one hand, and dribble soil around its roots, poking between the roots with fingers (or chopsticks) to be sure there aren't any air pockets left. Leave at least 1/3 of the large bulb exposed at the top of the pot. You will find this odd when planting. After you finish, the bulb emerges from the soil like a swimmer with shoulders partly out of water. If this seems puzzling, check at nurseries for examples of pre-potted amaryllis. Water well after planting.
Keep the pots warm while they are growing indoors. Setting the pots where they get some bottom heat sometimes helps them get started. (The top of a refrigerator, or the top of a water heater would work.) Check after about a week to be sure the pot is well-watered, and move the plant into light when a shoot is visible, even 1/4 inch of a pale green nubbin. A flowering shoot is often the first to emerge from the bulb. Once growth begins, bloom will be 5 or 6 weeks away, bloom with spectacular size and colors in pink, white, red, and even pale peach. When planted now, they will bloom toward the end of January.
The amaryllis plant, unlike the paper white narcissus, grows steadily after bloom and can be maintained as a house plant. Long strap-shaped leaves will grow after the flower, or concurrent with the flower's bloom. Keep the plant in good light, watered and fertilized to grow as healthy a crop of leaves as possible.
Other holiday gift plants often arrive already in bloom. Be sure to check the fancy wrappings at the bottom, to be sure water can drain freely. Poke holes in the wrapping so that water doesn't stand at the roots of the plants. (Some determined gardeners remove the wrappings, but the wrapper often adds a decorative touch. So poke those holes.) Poinsettias must be protected from drafts, and kept in warm, light places. So many surprising colors have been developed in poinsettias that they are almost a winter staple for homes --peach, pink, whites, and yellows have joined the traditional red bract color. Don't set a poinsettia just inside the front door where temperatures fluctuate.
Blooming plants add a necessary touch of the garden to all holiday celebrations --enjoy planting, giving, and receiving them.
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