Forced bulbs for winter

Create festive scents indoors the easy way, says Ruth

THERE is enough to consider over Christmas without worrying about fresh flowers for the house, which is why it’s such a good idea to start your forced bulbs now.

Prepared bulbs of hyacinths, ‘Paper White’ narcissi and hippeastrum (tall, exotic, trumpetflowered amaryllis) can be planted up over the next few weeks, then set aside in a cool, dark place and brought out in time for the festivities.

These bulbs have been prepared for early flowering by being subjected to a period of intense cold that tricks them into thinking they have been through winter. As a result, they flower several weeks before they would do normally. Plant them up in a loamy compost or, if their container has no holes, specially prepared bulb fibre. This contains crushed shells and charcoal to absorb moisture and prevent the bulbs from rotting. Bowls or pots without drainage holes should be tipped on their sides for a while after watering to allow the excess to run out Hyacinth bulbs should be sealed in a black bin liner or closed drawer and placed in a cool cellar or shed for several weeks for the roots to develop and the plant to start shooting. Once shoots appear, place the bowl in a cool, light room away from direct sunlight so that the leaves will green up naturally. Alternatively, place the bulbs on a special water-filled vase. They will soon develop roots and shoots and flower buds.

The bulbs of narcissi don’t need the dark, but should be kept somewhere cool for around 10 weeks.

Start prepared hyacinths now for sweet perfume and indoor colour at Christmas and the New Year ‘Paper White’ narcissi are another forced favourite Pale shoots growing in a darkened drawer

Hyacinths can be started over vases of water