The Garden At Rock Cottage by Lance Brilliantine

Forced Entry

As Christmas approaches, East Hampton is showing signs of winter. The recent snow indicates this is no time for outdoor gardening.

Forced bulbs, however, can brighten any room, and certainly help a gardening spirit make it through the winter. Among the easiest, most fragrant, and most fun of forced bulbs is the paperwhite. It is readily available in nurseries at this time of year.

Paperwhites are a type of Narcissus, which is a member of the Amaryllis plant family. The technical name for the plant is Narcissus tazetta papyraceous. The word Narcissus comes from the Greek word "narke" which means "numbness" or "stupor" and probably refers to the flower's intoxicating fragrance. It may also be associated with the fact that the bulbs are poisonous and produce a numbing effect on the tongue. The bulbs are natives to France, Spain and surrounding Mediterranean areas and have been actively cultivated for thousands of years.

Paperwhites will survive outdoors to Zone 7, so are marginal bulbs for the Hamptons - not really successful when planted in-ground. They thrive in areas where the roots are consistently wet, so are amenable to locations near streams and lakes.

These are truly the easiest bulbs to force and will bloom in about six weeks after they are planted. For Christmas next week, this means you will need to purchase bulbs forced by a nursery. However, bulbs purchased now and planted over a series of weeks will provide blooms throughout the winter. Each bulb produces several flower-bearing stems. The flowers are strongly scented, so just a few bulbs provide a succession of flowers and scent.

If purchasing bulbs, select only those bulbs that are scar, blemish and bruise-free. This reduces the possibility of purchasing bulbs with basal rot problems caused by a disease named Fusarium. It infects the bulb plates and results in a mushy-brown decay. Discard any bulbs that seem to have any possibility of this problem.

To force bulbs, fill a pot, or bulb pan with one or two inches of potting soil or stones. Position bulbs so they nearly touch each other with pointed ends up. Add adequate potting soil, moss, crystal gel, or glass marbles so the top half of the bulbs remain exposed. Water well (no fertilizer required). We find that glass dishes with small rocks and water that permit the observation of the growing roots at the bottom of the dish are an added attraction. For success, the bulbs must be consistently wet throughout the duration of their bloom so the roots never dry out.

The bulbs must be placed in a bright, cool room with very strong light until the shoots are one-to-two inches tall. Then, the pots can be moved to a warmer location - again with bright light. Bulbs started in locations with inadequate light, or that are initially too warm, produce leggy plants that flop over. So, it is a good idea to stake the plants as they grow larger than four or five inches tall.

Some of the most popular varieties include: "Ziva," a variety with trusses of beautiful, fragrant, bright white flowers. "Omri," with many white florets on multiple stems and bright white centers. "Soleil d'Or," a bulb that is delicately scented and produces yellow blossoms. "Nony," with white flowers and pale yellow cups; and "Grand Primo," a late variety that produces clusters of powerfully scented, creamy-white blossoms.

Despite the fact most people discard the bulbs after blooming, they will re-bloom if planted outdoors in protected locations that receive full sun. If desired, provide the forced bulbs with fertilizer after the flowers die, and cut away any seed pods. Place in a cool, bright location until the leaves yellow on their own and then store the bulbs dry until spring. Plant the bulbs outdoors after danger of any frost to a depth of eight inches. They will produce flowers in a year or so provided they are heavily mulched in winter.

This weekend is a great time to purchase paperwhites for the Holidays. The florist shop, Whittendales, on Newtown Lane, is one of the better providers in East Hampton and has pots, trays, and boxes at this time of year.

The intoxicating scent and bright flowers of paperwhites will fill a room with the Holiday spirit, and also remind us that spring is not far off. Let me take the opportunity to wish all the readers of Dan's Papers a very Happy Holiday and successful, happy, and healthy New Year!

You can contact Lance Brilliantine with any questions or comments at GardenLance@yahoo.com.

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