In the Garden: Plant, grow and enjoy paperwhites
Brighten indoor décor with one or more containers of paperwhites. The fragrant flowers can perfume a room or if preferred, grow one of the less fragrant varieties. Just plant the bulbs – no cold treatment needed – and watch them grow into blooming beauties.
Ziva is intensely fragrant and the most common paperwhite variety sold for forcing. It blooms in about four weeks after planting indoors and can be grown outdoors in zones 8 through 11.
If looking for all the beauty but less fragrance, purchase Nir paperwhites with slightly larger flowers and a more subtle scent. For even less fragrance, grow Inbal paperwhites with half the fragrance intensity of Ziva. Order early to find these less common varieties.
Purchase firm healthy bulbs and store them in a cool location until finding time to plant. Buy enough bulbs to make several plantings to keep the winter blossoms continuing for months. Pot them all up at the same time and store them in a cool dark location. Then move them into a cool bright location and begin watering when ready to get a new batch of bulbs growing.
Grow paperwhites in gravel or a well-drained potting mix. Both methods work well and provide attractive displays and gifts to share. Use unique containers and planting methods described in the 6 Creative Ways to Gift Paperwhites blog on Longfield Gardens’ website, longfield-gardens.com.
Select a watertight container with sterile pea gravel, pebbles or marbles if looking to go soilless. Add just enough water to reach the top of the stones. Place 5 or more bulbs close together on the gravel base. Cover the bottom of the bulbs with more pebbles to hold them in place. Maintain the water level just below the bottom of the bulbs.
Or plant the bulbs in a container with drainage holes filled with any well-drained potting mix. Just leave the tops of the bulbs exposed and keep the potting mix moist but not wet.
Grow the bulbs in a cool, sunny location to help reduce flopping. Or try this Cornell University tested, old time technique to encourage compact growth. Once the leaves are 2 inches tall, replace the plain water in the pebbles with one cup of an 80-proof clear liquor mixed with 7 cups of water. But don’t overdo; more is not better and can prevent flowering or cause damage to the plants.
Despite these efforts, staking paperwhites may be necessary due to low-light conditions indoors. Cut bamboo stakes to length or harvest stems of red twig dogwoods, willow or others harvested in the landscape. They provide the support needed while bringing a bit of the outdoors inside to brighten homes.
Another option is to force them in a tall glass vase. The tall sides support the tall leaves and flower stems as they grow. Add some berry-covered stems or other decorative twigs for added color.
Once paperwhites are finished flowering, add them to the compost pile as they rarely can be forced to flower again. Think of it as the paperwhites becoming part of the garden in a different form, helping improve the soil.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” streaming courses and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her website is MelindaMyers.com. She was commissioned by Longfield Gardens for her expertise to write this article.
