Narcissus 'Replete' is among bulbs that can be forced to bloom indoors on water

Narcissus "Replete" flowers in a white ceramic pail. No soil is used; the plants are growing on water alone. Narcissus is a genus of bulb-grown flowering plants that includes species and cultivars of daffodils, jonquils and paper whites.

While these are all spring-blooming bulbs when planted outdoors in fall, paper whites are especially popular for forcing into early bloom indoors. Their clustered star-shaped white flowers make them perfect for the Christmas season and for other winter decorating. 

As a fun winter project, I decided to try water-forcing the larger bulbs of narcissus "Replete," which is described as a double daffodil. I highly recommend it as a bulb to grow indoors. It is now among several types of bulbs I have grown to flower on plain water. Others include amaryllis, crocus, hyacinth, muscari and tulips.

On a snowy Saturday that followed a warm and sunny Friday, the blooming narcissus flowers are a mood-lifting vision of spring.

Early this past December, I "planted" eight narcissus bulbs by setting them (pointed end up) atop smooth stones piled inside in my white ceramic pail. To get the good chill that many spring bulbs require, the container of narcissus bulbs was set on the floor of the unheated garage until late February. Then I broght them in and set them in a sunny spot in front of sliding glass doors.

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Water-grown hyacinth bulbs bloom early indoors

© Kimberly L. Jackson / At Home New Jersey

Indoor garden: A snowy vision of spring

In a backyard full of lingering, drifted snow, my hyacinths are bringing a welcome shot of early spring color. One in pink is in full bloom, as others are at various stages in opening.

I can smell their fragrance when I walk through the front door. This is not such a good thing, since I really dislke the smell of hyacinths. Their beauty more than makes up for that little issue, however.

Soon it will be time to bring in the tulips, crocus, narcissus and Sicilian honey garlic bulbs from the cold garage. All of which are similarly growing atop marbles or stones in plain water.

All those bulbs have pale sprouts. While I've successfully grown indoor tulips -- on water alone -- for at least four years. I am experimenting with the other bulbs for the first time this winter. I'll update soon!

Hyacinths: An easy bulb to grow indoors in plain water

Last year's hyacinth bulbs growing inside in water. I enjoy observing the root growth in glass containers.This year's hyacinth bulbs are growing surprisingly well in filtered water.

I usually order some of the bulbs I force into bloom, but after consistent quality issues with one supplier, I am happy, so far, that I decided to try plain ol' home improvement store bulbs.

It didn't hurt that I found several options on 50-percent-off clearance at Home Depot in Westfield. (That store is like Home Depot from another planet. They are SO nice! Every staffer who passes asks if you need help finding something -- and then they actually lead you to the aisle and show you the thing you are looking for. I usually go to bigger HD stores anticipating greater selection and, often, suffering greater aggravation. Wish it had occurred to me more often to check the Westfield store.)

Anyway, back to the point. All the spring-flowering bulbs I bought were stored in the garage to chill (literally, not in the "Let's Chill" sense) in my unheated basement. (I only know for sure that tulips need a cold kickstart, but maybe it benefited this year's hyacinths as well.)

All the bulbs I bought were those that are usually planted outdoors in the fall to bloom in spring, but I like to use them for living indoor flower arrangements. So, on Dec. 15, I pulled out lots of vases, containers full of marbles, small stones and acrylic "crystal" vase fillers. Each vase was layered inside with an inch or two of these fillers to support the bulbs. Each bulb's bottom barely touches water in the vase.

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Water-grown tulips bloom indoors for early signs of spring

'Banja Luka' single tulipThis year, I went a little crazy with the water-grown flower bulbs. It was a therapeutic pandemic project.

As a result, I have several groupings to display around the house, including a fiery and fragrant arrangement of red and yellow 'Banja Luka' tulips mixed with red and white 'Carnival de Rio' tulips that look gorgeous in a white porcelain ice bucket. As usual, these tulips were all grown in water from bulbs supported by rocks, marbles or clear acrylic crystals in a variety of vases and containers.

Tulips are among my favorite flowers. I used to plant the bulbs outdoors, but the last time was one April when I waited with excitement for the bulbs to open. One daily visit to the bed was met with the heartbreaking sight of headless plants snatched from the soil by hungry deer. They basically live in my backyard now, so I grow my spring flowers indoors where they are safe from four-legged munchers.  

The 'Ad Rem' tulips bloomed on compact stems in a square glass vase. For the Easter table, a dense clutch of pink 'Finola' tulips is showing off cotton candy colors on the pedestal of a glass triffle bowl. These have been a pleasure to watch. The flower buds emerged in the same green as the leaves and gradually showed signs of pink. The pink colors range from pale pink to deep fuchsia, with white mixed in. The color gets darker as they mature and slowly open. In the triffle bowl, they are a floral confection that looks pretty enough to eat -- and they're taking the place of dessert!

The last time I grew and posted photos of numerous arrangements from flower bulbs forced in water, a number of the pictures were stolen. In one case the thieves had the nerve put their own watermark on my photo. So, the new plan is to wait a few months to publish this year's images in print as a winter project.  

The 'Banja Luka' tulips shown at left below came from a bag of supermarket bulbs. They performed better than fancy bulbs I ordered online -- many of the latter group developed mold, rotted and didn't flower.

The 'Banja Luka'  flower in bloom on the right below started out like the smaller bud on the bulb beneath it. The first flower opened inside the vase, and over days its stem, and the flower itself, continued to grow. (Anyone who has had cut tulips in a vase knows that they will continue to grow taller.)

At right below, a partially open bloom from the double tulip, 'Finola' is being preserved in a vase after its stem was broken. This heavy-headed, peony-type tulip seems to produce blooms too heavy for its slender stems. I now have three of them saved from their broken necks in a tall glass on my desk. 

Two 'Banja Luka' tulip bulbs, left, and an 'Ad Rem' tulip in narrow vases. A heavy-headed 'Finola' double tulip that weighed down and broke its slender stem.

Leafy update: soil really makes a difference for formerly water-grown amaryllis

The purple-tinged tip of Leafy's first bud as a soil-grown amaryllis bulb.People who force amaryllis bulbs indoors in soil are probably shaking their heads here, but I have to report that for the first time, my formerly water-grown amaryllis bulb has sent up leaves before the flower bud. Typically, the single bud shoot emerges and then leaves come after the flowers die and the stem is cut away.

Anyone who followed Leafy's life as an amaryllis bulb grown on top of a vase of water knows that the bulb has bloomed each spring for five straight years, mostly in plain water.

That is, until I worried about its health and tried to feed it by fortifying its water with a tiny bit of fertilizer meant for plants growing in soil. That put the bulb in distress. So, after last year's bloom, I planted Leafy in soil, which it obviously prefers. 

Its first leaves as a soil-grown bulb were so healthy, in fact, that they did not die off in October or November as was normally the case. As of late January, the bulb had just two withered leaves. The last three stayed green and healthy until they finally drooped earlier this month.

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