Right bulb moment
Looking for the perfect gift? Everyone loves a bowl of flowering bulbs – especially if you’ve grown them yourself
TAKING a bottle of wine to someone who has invited you around for dinner is all very well, but why not impress them with a bowl of flowering bulbs that you have grown yourself?
All kinds of bulbs are avail- able now but there are a few particular types that lend themselves to being given as presents since they flower in time for Christmas. What you are looking for are prepared hyacinths that have been heat-treated to encourage them to flower early, or else two particular varieties of narcissus. Prepared hyacinths should be potted up individually in 3-4in pots of multipurpose compost, then kept cool and dark. Bring them out into a cool, bright room when the flower spikes have cleared and the bulbs are just beginning to show colour. At this point, you can group several that are flowering at the same time in a decorative container. This solves the common problem of a bowlful of bulbs flowering at different times.
To avoid toppling flower spikes, remember to keep the bulbs in the coolest but brightest place possible when brought indoors. ‘Delft Blue’, ‘Jan Bos’ (rich pink) and ‘L’innocence’ (white) are among the oldest varieties but they are still reliable. Oh, and the scent is almost as impressive as fine wine.
The two varieties of narcissus are ‘Paperwhite’ and ‘Grand Soleil d’or’. The first, as its name implies, is pure white, and the second is brilliant golden yellow.
Pot the bulbs up now by simply stuffing them cheek by jowl into 6in clay flowerpots, so their noses are just showing above the compost.
Allow a gap of an inch between the surface of the compost and rim of the pot for later watering. Now put them somewhere cool and dark for about three or four weeks before the flower stems become visible. What I like to do is pot these bulbs up in batches so that a succession of flowers keeps coming. Potted up now, they are likely to be flowering in less than two months.
Go for prepared hyacinths or two varieties of narcissus