Forcing paperwhites in water ready for blooming in time for Christmas (they take anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks). I pitched them to the children as a kind of alternative advent calendar - hopefully they won't bloom too soon!
I've never grown them this way before but apparently you can use pretty much anything to anchor the roots to keep the bulbs stable and submerged, as long as it's not metal. I used dollar store rocks and the children made their own versions, with plastic beads and marbles. And good old mason jars of course.
November 16, 2011
I've never seen this before ~ what a great idea !
Posted by: Rachel | November 16, 2011 at 10:26 AM
We always do ours on Dec. 1, and so far, they have always bloomed at least a day or two before Christmas!
Posted by: Grace | November 16, 2011 at 09:36 PM
I hope they don't peak too soon! I wonder whether growing them in soil vs water makes a difference to how fast they grow? I guess we'll find out!
Posted by: Lina | November 17, 2011 at 08:54 AM
I love this idea. I am going to do it too. Thank you for the idea
Posted by: imene | November 21, 2011 at 01:24 PM
I tried mine in water last year and nothing ever grew. Boo hoo. This year, I did them too early and they are flowering now. I really am hopeless.
Posted by: domesticali | November 22, 2011 at 09:36 AM