Forcing bulbs is a way you can take garden bulbs that grow outside and grow them inside your house in the cold winter months (or any time really.)
Many bulbs (like hyacinth, tulips and the daffodils I’ve done above) require a chilling period, which complicates things a bit and prolongs the process but one of the bulbs that doesn’t require this are Paperwhites. In the daffodil family, they grow clusters of little white flowers and they’re the quickest and easiest bulbs to force. They require very little maintenance and don’t even require a green thumb This is a great project to do with kids too; they will love keeping their eye on these bulbs and cheering at the first sight of roots, tips, and flowers.
You’ll need a container; and it can be any number of things. Glass vases work great. They look really pretty, and the glass makes it easy to monitor the water level. Once the flowers grow tall, having the glass sides helps the flowers from flopping over. And you can even use baskets and decorative containers if they are lined with a waterproof container on the inside.
Place water in your container, so it’s just barely touching the bottom of the bulb. You don’t want the bulbs swimming in there or they will rot, so just get it barely close to the bottom. This is where a glass container comes in handy. If you’re pouring water into a tall vase, pour it carefully down the side so you don’t splash the tops of the bulbs.
Within a few days, you should notice little roots growing out the bottom. The roots will find their way to the water, growing around the stones and therefore anchoring the bulbs in place.
Tie a ribbon around an inexpensive glass vase and they make a great hostess gift. You should see your first blooms within about 4-6 weeks.
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