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November in Pennsylvania is typically known as a “dreary” month, so it’s the perfect excuse for me to bring some spring into my house with flowering bulbs.  When I’m lacking color and fragrance outside there’s nothing better than a houseful of spring bulbs to cheer me up!

Let’s start with the non-chilling bulbs - Amaryllis and Paper Whites.  Since these bulbs are native to zones 8 and 9, they do not know “winter” and have no need for a cooling period.   I love Paper Whites for many reasons - their simplicity, fragrance, ability to grow in pebbles, dirt or water…and these little beauties go from bulb to flowering plant within 4-6 weeks!  I stagger my Paper Whites throughout December and January by planting a group at a time, so I have a blooming Paper White garden in my entryway for weeks.   I know that many people consider Amaryllis to be a “Christmas” bloom (think the bright red flowers), but they come in a variety of colors like peach, lilac and whites too.  If you can find them, you can plant Amaryllis bulbs indoors as early as October and have a beautiful flowering plant by mid to late November.  Be sure to use large, heavy containers for these showstoppers so they don’t topple over.  Think of all the arrangements you can create with Amaryllis as center-of-attention!

A few flowering bulbs that require a pre-chill before they bloom include tulips, hyacinth, crocus and daffodils.  This simply means that the bulbs need a bit of cold to stimulate development and growth.  I like to make containers this time of year with mixtures of spring bulbs (be sure that the mixture of bulbs share the same “chill times”) and some pots of all the same flowers such as daffodils.  I take a bunch of bulbs (I suggest selecting the larger bulbs that will provide larger blooms) and place them in my containers that are ½ filled with potting soil.  After arranging them in the containers, I water them well and cover with more potting soil and then lay a paper bag on top.  I learned from experience to mark the containers – I like to use a small plant label or stick – because chances are good I will forget what I planted in which container.  I keep them “in-chill” in my garage (even better a refrigerator in your garage) for the next few weeks (normally 15 to 17 weeks) and lightly water them once a week or so.  Once you bring the containers inside, depending on the bulb, you can see blooms within a few short weeks.  

And when you make your containers, remember to make a few extra – they make great hostess, birthday or “just because” gifts!

-Barbara