Forcing Hardies

Forcing Spring Flowering Bulbs
There’s nothing as singularly beautiful as bulbs blooming indoors during the winter months. With some planning, potting up and minimal attention to cooling, we can enjoy flowers for 3-4 months while the snow and ice wreak their havoc outside.  Of course, all you have to do is leave the house in late March and early April and every store, nursery and pop-up roadside stand offers Spring bulbs for sale, with a multitude coming to a crescendo the week before Easter. However, there are a few months between the poinsettia that is beginning to look out of place once the Christmas tree comes down and Palm Sunday. I want pink, blue, purple and yellow blooms in February and March to kick-start a frenzy of Spring fever! Also, if you really indulge yourself by ordering from the many excellent catalog companies, the varieties available far surpass the meager daffodil and hyacinth offerings at the local supermarket. Where else will you find fritillarias, if you don’t grow them yourself?

Here follows a list of the bulbs and corms that are suitable for forcing indoors, along with the chill times and planting depths:

Anemone                  Chill 8-10 weeks
Chionodoxa             Chill 10-12 weeks
Crocus                        Chill 10-12 weeks          1″ deep
Daffodil                     Chill 12-15 weeks          1″ deep
Fritillaria                Chill 12-15 weeks          1″ deep
Hyacinth                   Chill 12-15 weeks          1/2″ deep/water
Iris, Dutch                 Chill 12-15 weeks          1/2″ deep
Muscari                      Chill 8-10 weeks            1″ deep
Puschkinia                Chill 10-12 weeks          1″ deep
Scilla                            Chill 10-12 weeks          1″ deep
Snowdrops                 Chill 10-12 weeks          1″ deep
Tulip                             Chill 14-16 weeks          1/2″ above soil line
Winter Aconites     Chill 8-10 weeks             1/2″ deep

All of these bulbs, except for hyacinths and tulips, may be planted outdoors after flowering. Remove the flower stalk but not the leaves.  Then, be patient because it may take 2 years for them to bloom again. Don’t reuse for forcing.

Potting Up
Here’s what you will need to plant your bulbs:
Soil   (1 part soil, 1 part peat, 1 part perlite or sand)
Pots, pottery, vases
Plant labels
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons playing in the background

Pot up mid-October to mid December, accounting for chill times.  Fill the pot or container with soil to a level that will allow for the height of the bulb, the depth of planting and another 1/2-1″ for watering and adding moss later.  Place the bulbs close, but not touching and cover with soil.  Do NOT press down on the soil or the bulb; just let the watering settle everything in.  Label with the plant name and the date to bring the pots indoors.  Place in a dark spot. Chill at 35-48F, keeping the pots watered as needed.  When the bulbs start showing shoots, bring indoors and place in a cool room with indirect sunlight.  Adding moss around the base of the stems really sets the bulbs off beautifully.  As the flowers start to appear, move to bright light.  Rotate the pots daily to keep stems upright.  If the stems become elongated and the flowers are toppling over, tie with a ribbon or some raffia to a stick or bamboo cane.

Tips:
If the bulb has a flat side (tulips and some daffodils), place that side facing out towards the rim of the pot, so that the leaves will form a border for the flowers.

Hyacinth bulbs can cause skin irritation, so use gloves when handling.

There are ways to chill the bulbs, such as burying them in the ground and covering with leaves and straw. The chance of damage from mice, deer and voles is great and requires protecting the pots with wire mesh. Also, if the bulbs freeze, they will not bloom. If you live in an area where the entire winter months remain between 35-48F, you are very lucky indeed for you can just store them in a shed or garage.  My solution is to chill them in the refrigerator (no apples allowed, because of ethylene gas!).

End Note: This is one of the first pictures I took with my digital camera about a year and a half ago. There’s some odd lighting going on but it does give a promise of future blooms.  The moss really softens the whole look!