Beautiful Indoor Spring Blooms

Beautiful Indoor Spring Blooms

Forcing Forsythia and other flowering bushes/trees:

#1 Pick a day above freezing

#2 Cut branches about 3ft in length

#3 Place in a bucket of warm water

#4 Place in a sunny window wait 1-8 weeks (depending on time of year

Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors:

With it still a few weeks from flowers in the garden you can hurry the process a bit from your home.  As it still can be a gloomy view from the window. You can start the process anytime. Many people like to start in January so as to have those blooms indoors for early Spring.

Springtime favorites are Hyacinths, Daffodils, Tete (mini daffs), Tulips, Crocus, Grape Hyacinths, Iris & Snowdrops. Holiday Favorites are Paperwhites & Amaryllis and the fastest with a no chill time and will blossom 3-8 weeks after planting

Here is an approximate chill time chart:

Tulips: 10-15 weeks; blooms 2-3 weeks after planting

Chill bulbs in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator or a cold basement.  Fastest bloomer would be the Daffodil with a 2-3 week chill time and 2-3 week bloom after planting.

Bulbs such as Hyacinths and Daffodils look beautiful forced in glass jars with pebbles or river rocks.  After they have had their cold rest they are ready for their container.

Just place 2-3: layer of the desired rocks, set bulb on top of stones, fill with more stones.  Leave ½ the bulb exposed and add water. The base of the bulb should be above water. Place in a sunny window while the roots and leaves start to sprout.  Check often for water level and enjoy your blooms in a few short weeks.

Be sure to purchase from a reliable source for the best outcome.  Many suppliers may have prechilled bulbs, which can save you more time waiting for those blooms.


Resources:  Pinterest apartmenttherapy.com and whiteflowerfarm.com