paperwhites

 

Although I grow masses of bulbs every year, I haven't grown paperwhite narcissi very often. I think it's something to do with their abilityto flower this side of New Year (as well as afterwards) when deep down I feel that bulbs are part of the magic of spring. Yet I am growing to love the fact that paperwhites manage to put out long, tall stems and a starry burst of pretty white flowers and an amazing fragrance at the time you'd think nothing like this could possibly happen. So while it's freezing outside, my bulbs have quickly and steadily grown and flowered as if everything is perfectly normal.

These are Paperwhite 'Ziva' (from Peter Nyssen, as ever) and they are super-easy to grow. After mine started growing in the paper bag of their own accord I potted them in a big bowl filled with multi-purpose potting compost (and a layer of gravel at the bottom) with their necks just showing, then kept them in a cool, dark place until the stems were a few inches high which is when I moved them onto the kitchen windowsill.

The only problem with paperwhites is that the stems grow so tall and are so light and slender that they tend to flop and fall over once they become top-heavy with flowers. This is why I push mine into a corner for them to lean against, like worn-out ballerinas who have done a little too much stretching.

Next up are the hyacinths in vases; these are solid, stumpy plodders in comparison to paperwhites, but they really do signal a new year in the New Year.

 

 

Comments

[Jennifer]

I love the description of worn out ballerinas, it describes it so perfectly. I bet they smell divine.

[Leila]

I just bought a few paperwhite bulbs (potted) from the farmer's market. It's my first attempt with them. They're a couple of inches tall now. Wish me luck!

[alison]

Ever since I read about using vodka to keep paperwhites from growing too spindly, that is what I do every year. They only grow about half as tall.

My post on "pickled paperwhites":
http://artisanry.blogspot.com/2009/02/pickled-paperwhites.html

[Virginia]

Your paperwhites are lovely!

I haven't grown any for a while. Last time I did winter bulbs was an amaryllis of some sort or another.

[oxslip]

I've tried the same as Alison with the alcohol, I didn't have as much success though but perhaps I didn't put enough in. Plus it was rum that I used, so maybe they are swaying because they want to be in Trinidadian warm breezes.

[Laura]

I love paperwhites and their fresh, wintry scent! My neighbor grows masses of them in her front yard. Yours are lovely!

[MissHeliotrope]

I always love the idea of doing this, but we don't have the same tradition so forget when the appropriate season arrives.
I also live with a pile of hayfeverish complaining types, so may not be allowed to get away with it anyway...

[frances]

I've got my baby paperwhite crop angled into a corner of a deep window sill.

Love your naming them worn out ballerinas. True. Generally, when my bulbs do bloom (by Christmas I so hope) I will prop them up with some holly branches that I'll stick into the pebbles at the base of the vase with the paperwhites. So...the pw's will get support, and the holly's green and red will add pretty color.

[kieren]

Lovely flowers, lovely writing. I put mine in a tall glass vases, they can swoon against the sides and stay standing.

[Desiree]

It's a vicarious thrill for me. I grew paperwhites once only: the scent was too strong for the Man of the Place, so I had to put 'em outside. But they are lovely. Thanks for sharing.

[Tracy]

I tie the stems to each other with string to keep them upright. I grow them every year, even though everyone in the house (including me) finds the scent a bit too strong.

[maggie]

What a gorgeous pure white... I can almost smell them!

[Emma B]

Never seen these before, they look gorgeous.

[Phyllis]

Your Paperwhites are beautiful.

[Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings]

They are lovely. Did you know you can add alcohol to the water, and it will shorten the stems? True.~~Dee