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Grow Spring Bulbs Indoors

By: Jessica Yonker

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Forcing bulbs indoors allows you to enjoy a spring bouquet during the dark days of winter.

Give the gift of a gorgeous potted Cherry Nymph Amaryllis to brighten winter days. $28.31; Gardeners Supply Company

Photo: Gardeners Supply Company

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Grow Bulbs Indoors

Brighten up your home this winter by starting your own indoor bulb garden.

Photo: Wouter Koppen for iBulb.org

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Step 1: Choose Your Bulbs

Daffodils, amaryllis, paperwhites and hyacinths (especially grape hyacinths) make excellent candidates for growing indoors. Keep in mind that many hyacinth varieties will need to be pre-chilled for six weeks or longer before planting.

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Step 2: Inspect Bulbs

Healthy bulbs should be plump, firm and unblemished. Before buying, inspect them carefully. Reject moldy, bruised or shriveled bulbs.

Eggshells Awaiting Transformation Into Bulb Containers

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Step 3: Pick a Container

You can plant your bulbs in pots or containers filled with potting soil or gravel, or try using eggshells, which can be planted directly into the garden after flowering. Remove the top quarter of the eggshell, set the egg aside and rinse the shell with warm water.

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Step 4: Add Gravel

Add a small amount of gravel to the bottom of each eggshell.

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Step 5: Place the Bulb

Sit the bulb on top of the gravel. Add a bit of soil to help anchor the bulb and dress the eggshell with moss to help maintain moisture. Gently water your eggshell garden and place it in a sunny spot.

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Step 6: Wait for the Magic

Allow the soil to dry in-between waterings, usually once a week. Within six weeks, you should see flower buds form and blossom.

Paperwhite Narcissus can be made to bloom on shorter stems with a special alcohol and water mix. And Mardi Gras beads work just fine in place of gravel.

Photo: Image courtesy of Felder Rushing

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Paperwhite Party

Try swapping out gravel for Mardi Gras beads for a festive arrangement that will bloom just in time for Fat Tuesday.

Photo: Shutterstock/grafvision

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Drunk Daffodils

If you've forced bulbs before and experienced flowers that topple over, try this trick: mixing a little bit of alcohol in with the water will cause the flower stems to grow shorter.

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Amaryllis Can Sprout Anywhere

Still not convinced forcing bulbs is an easy winter project? HGTV writer Danny Bonvissuto found a forgotten box of amaryllis bulbs sprouting inside her closet!