Forcing Bulbs Early
When summer is over, there's never a better time to plan ahead for some cheerful blooms to brighten the darkest days of winter and forced bulbs are one of the easiest things to grow. Plant them in early autumn and, in just a few short months, you'll have pots full of budding flowers to fill your home with colour.
Most spring-flowering bulbs need a period of chilling at 9’C or below before you bring them indoors, to 'force' them into growth. The chilling imitates the cold winter weather they would experience naturally, which is essential for proper flower development. The length of chilling varies between different types of bulb, but is generally somewhere between 10 and 16 weeks. You can speed up the process for hyacinths by buying 'prepared' bulbs which have been heat-treated and pre-chilled. This will cut down the length of time you need to chill bulbs at home to about six weeks. Narcissus 'Paper White' is another good choice if you want quick results, as the bulbs naturally only require a short period - around three weeks - of cool conditions for good flowering.
The ideal place to carry out this chilling is outdoors, at the foot of a north-facing wall or fence, where the pots of bulbs will be shielded from the heat of the sun and where the air temperature will remain constant.
However long the chilling period, a cold greenhouse or porch really comes into its own for the next stage of the process. This involves forcing the bulbs into growth. The cool, bright conditions are ideal for bringing the bulbs on gradually. You can then bring them inside just as the flower-buds begin to break, ready to fill your house with fragrance.
Most spring-flowering bulbs need a period of chilling at 9’C or below before you bring them indoors, to 'force' them into growth. The chilling imitates the cold winter weather they would experience naturally, which is essential for proper flower development. The length of chilling varies between different types of bulb, but is generally somewhere between 10 and 16 weeks. You can speed up the process for hyacinths by buying 'prepared' bulbs which have been heat-treated and pre-chilled. This will cut down the length of time you need to chill bulbs at home to about six weeks. Narcissus 'Paper White' is another good choice if you want quick results, as the bulbs naturally only require a short period - around three weeks - of cool conditions for good flowering.
The ideal place to carry out this chilling is outdoors, at the foot of a north-facing wall or fence, where the pots of bulbs will be shielded from the heat of the sun and where the air temperature will remain constant.
However long the chilling period, a cold greenhouse or porch really comes into its own for the next stage of the process. This involves forcing the bulbs into growth. The cool, bright conditions are ideal for bringing the bulbs on gradually. You can then bring them inside just as the flower-buds begin to break, ready to fill your house with fragrance.
Growing in Water
Hyacinths will happily grow in water, and are best grown in a special forcing vase. It is possible to use a small jam jar, but if the bulb is sitting in water it will rot. Hourglass-shaped hyacinth vases have a narrow waist which holds the bulb so that the bottom part does not touch the water; instead its roots go in search of it. Fill the vase with water to just below the bulb but not touching. Chill for 10 weeks in a cool, dark place. For best effect grow at least three hyacinths. Hyacinth vases can be bought for a couple of pounds and used again, so it’s worth the investment. This is a great project to do with children or grandchildren, but don’t forget to wear gloves as all hyacinth bulbs can irritate the skin.
Bulb Planting Tips
- Buy bulbs which are firm and have no signs of mould.
- Plant them straight away or keep well ventilated in paper bags until you do.
- Plant in bulb fibre or add some perlite or fine gravel to your potting mix.
- Don't firm the compost down before planting or the roots will push up against it.
- Firm in compost around the bulb once it's been planted.
- Plant bulbs singly in pots or in groups for maximum flexibility.
- Stick to groups of the same variety, because they grow at different rates.
- Single pots of hyacinths can be plunged into a larger container of bulb fibre, as they come into flower.
- Plant bulbs close, but not touching each other or the pot's sides.
- Leave a couple of centimetres gap between the top of the compost and the rim of the pot, to allow for watering.
How To Force Hyacinth Bulbs
Plant up a pot of hyacinths every two weeks from the beginning of September until mid-October, to provide a succession of fragrant blooms from Christmas onwards. Prepared hyacinths need to be kept below 9C for six weeks, while unprepared bulbs need 10 weeks. Favourites are dark blue 'Kronos', 'White Pearl' and red-pink 'Jan Bos'. Don't mix different varieties in one pot. Half fill a pot with bulb fibre or general purpose compost. Don't firm down so that roots can push through it easily. Place bulbs on the surface, close but not touching. Some people are allergic to hyacinths, so wear gloves if you're unsure. Fill around the bulbs with more compost to about 2cm below the rim of the pot, leaving the tips of the bulbs showing. Water the bulbs after potting. Take care not to over water when the container has no drainage holes in the base. Put in a cool dark place, such as the shed, to chill and then bring pots indoors, where they will take about three weeks to flower.
Which compost to use for indoor bulbs?
Bulb fibre is useful because its texture is light and open which helps to avoid problems with water logging. It usually contains charcoal which helps to maintain a healthy pH balance, stopping the soil from becoming too acidic and helping to prevent root rot.
Larger bulbs such as amaryllis can be planted in multipurpose compost, but the potting mix will benefit from the addition of perlite to help with drainage. If you don't have perlite you can also improve compost by adding some fine, washed gravel or grit.
Bulbs like narcissus and paper whites can be grown in water, in which case you can add decorative glass beads, pea gravel or even colourful aquarium gravel. Use a glass container for best effect.
Larger bulbs such as amaryllis can be planted in multipurpose compost, but the potting mix will benefit from the addition of perlite to help with drainage. If you don't have perlite you can also improve compost by adding some fine, washed gravel or grit.
Bulbs like narcissus and paper whites can be grown in water, in which case you can add decorative glass beads, pea gravel or even colourful aquarium gravel. Use a glass container for best effect.
Growing Bulbs for Christmas Presents
Bulbs make excellent presents, for friends, family and colleagues, with the added bonus that, unlike anything you buy from a shop, giving something you've grown yourself is very satisfying.
Start now by visiting garden centres or ordering bulbs online so that you have enough time to get them to the bud stage. Don't worry too much about exact timings or getting the bulbs in full bloom for the festive season, because the timings are an inexact science.
Depending on what the weather conditions are like, you can speed things up by bringing pots into the house or a cool greenhouse, or slow growth down by leaving pots outside a little longer.
Once the minimum chill period has been reached, the bulbs can be brought indoors when you are ready to start forcing them into growth. Using this method you should be able to fine-tune your growing close to the time when you want to give the bulbs as gifts. Remember, bulbs are best given when they are in bud, so that the recipient can appreciate them as they develop into flowers.
Try to look for interesting containers - a good rummage at a small nursery will often yield a galvanised pan or something out of the ordinary. Try to give bulbs in containers that can be used afterwards - car boot sales and eBay are a good source of interesting vintage containers; local hardware shops normally stock inexpensive, colourful bowls.
One of the best ways to display forced bulbs is to grow them in shallow pots or round tins which can be wrapped with paper and ribbon to resemble a cake. Stand this whole 'confection' on a glass cake stand bought from a second-hand shop.
Remember, if your container doesn't have drainage holes you have to be more careful and avoid over-watering. Don't water unless the compost is dry. You can play around with mulches such as moss from your garden, glass chips, pebbles or even straw. Give ordinary pots a festive feel by investing in a roll of plain or coloured transparent wrapping and some ribbon, sourced from a local florist or online.
Start now by visiting garden centres or ordering bulbs online so that you have enough time to get them to the bud stage. Don't worry too much about exact timings or getting the bulbs in full bloom for the festive season, because the timings are an inexact science.
Depending on what the weather conditions are like, you can speed things up by bringing pots into the house or a cool greenhouse, or slow growth down by leaving pots outside a little longer.
Once the minimum chill period has been reached, the bulbs can be brought indoors when you are ready to start forcing them into growth. Using this method you should be able to fine-tune your growing close to the time when you want to give the bulbs as gifts. Remember, bulbs are best given when they are in bud, so that the recipient can appreciate them as they develop into flowers.
Try to look for interesting containers - a good rummage at a small nursery will often yield a galvanised pan or something out of the ordinary. Try to give bulbs in containers that can be used afterwards - car boot sales and eBay are a good source of interesting vintage containers; local hardware shops normally stock inexpensive, colourful bowls.
One of the best ways to display forced bulbs is to grow them in shallow pots or round tins which can be wrapped with paper and ribbon to resemble a cake. Stand this whole 'confection' on a glass cake stand bought from a second-hand shop.
Remember, if your container doesn't have drainage holes you have to be more careful and avoid over-watering. Don't water unless the compost is dry. You can play around with mulches such as moss from your garden, glass chips, pebbles or even straw. Give ordinary pots a festive feel by investing in a roll of plain or coloured transparent wrapping and some ribbon, sourced from a local florist or online.
Easy Bulbs for Forcing Indoors
Narcissus
Daffodils and narcissus require 14 weeks of chilling. After this, move them indoors where they will take four to six weeks to flower. Quick-flowering 'Paper whites', bloom best given a cold period of three weeks, before bringing indoors, to flower in a further three weeks. Varieties to try:
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Bulbous Iris
Chill for 13-15 weeks, and then bring indoors into a cool room or cold greenhouse until flower-buds are visible, before moving to display position. Blooms go over quickly in hot rooms inside, so choose a cool spot. Varieties to try:
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Hyacinths
Hyacinths need approximately 14 weeks of chilling before forcing. When the tips of the flower buds appear at the centre of the emerging leaves, bring pots directly into a warm, but not hot, room for flowering. These easy-to-grow bulbs can be left potted and. unlike most other spring bulbs, can be forced again from one year to the next. As the flowers fade, move pots of plants into a well-lit position outdoors. Varieties to try:
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Snowdrops
A chilling period of 14-16 is needed for Galanthus. When you see the pointed tip of the emerging flower bud, move to a cool room and bring into flower slowly. Snowdrop blooms fade very quickly in warm, centrally heated rooms. After flowering, move pots outside for foliage to die down. Varieties to try:
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