Here is a fun and easy way to add fresh color and a spring like feel to your indoor plants and gardening. Try coaxing or forcing spring flowering bulbs into blooming in the mid-winter months.

photo credit: robynejay

There are dozens of bulbs that will add beautiful spring color to your home in the winter. Some bulbs will require minimal effort, while others require planning. So when selecting your bulbs to force take effort and time into consideration.

Many bulbs require a cold period to stimulate growth and flower production. If you have such bulbs place them in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Not all bulbs will require a cold period. Amaryllis, freesia, and tropical narcissus are a few that do fine without chilling the bulbs.

How to force spring bulbs into winter bloom without pre-chilling the bulbs.

• To force spring bulbs into winter bloom, pot the bulbs in either potting soil or water. Potting soil gives you the garden look and you can create more indoor decor with the selection of the container or garden pot.
• You will keep both growing styles indoors. The bulbs will not survive outdoors in cold weather.
• If you are potting in the bulbs in water, squeeze as many bulbs as you can fit into a shallow pot so they are secured. Pour enough water over the bulbs to cover the bottom half of the bulb. You can also anchor the bulbs with pebbles if you are unable to hold them down by squeezing them together in the pot.
• By planting bulbs in pots or vases you get a modern look that emphasizes the container, bulb and flower. I think planting done in this style have a delicate look.
• The spring bulbs should sprout within a week or two of potting them. This pertains to both growing methods.
• Once the plants have sprouted, keep them in indirect light and in a cool place where the temperature is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
• You will want to keep the sprouted plants in the cool room with indirect light for two weeks. This gives the bulbs a feel of cooler outdoor climates.
• After two weeks in the cool room with indirect light, move the pot into bright, direct light where there will be warmer temperatures.

photo credit: robynejay

The plants should flower within 4 weeks. Flowering bulbs in the winter add such color and life to indoor living. It seems to speed up the arrival of spring.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 10:54 pm and is filed under Small Space Garden. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.