My Paperwhites Are Planted.

I'm excited because I am never, ever this on top of it. I usually have paperwhites for Valentine's Day not Christmas. It's actually a nice touch during the cold, gray days of February, but this year, just maybe, I will have paperwhites for Christmas!

Do you like to force paperwhites? I love them and I love the scent. Some people do not care for them but I think they smell nice. They don't smell as good as a forced hyacinth in the house but that is for late Spring.

This year I found bulbs at my local garden center. I never found any bulbs last year so this was a good sign for my rather haphazard bulb forcing history. There are plenty of places to order online but that requires even better planning!

I decided to use an old square-ish jar for some of my bulbs. The stalks will grow quite tall and the jar provides some support and I think it will be a fun look. I already had a bag of dark rocks from the dollar store so I decided to use those.

I nestled the bulbs on the rocks - wiggle the rocks until they are fairly even and your bulbs sit steadily on the rocks. This is important when you are adding the water. 

I used a cup to slowly pour water just to the bottom of the bulbs. Be gentle because you want your bulbs to stay in place. You don't want your bulbs to sit in water because they could rot but the water should just brush the bottom so roots can begin to grow. 

I also had several bulb vases that I saved from last Spring when I purchased hyacinths at Trader Joes. Just one hyacinth in bloom can make the room smell amazing. You just fill with water and add the bulb. So easy. 

Another reason I wanted to use the jar for my bulbs? It has the perfect neck for a ribbon! That makes it even more festive- especially if you give these as gifts!

I hope you try forcing some bulbs this winter. It's also a lot of fun to do with children because they can see all of the parts of a flower through the clear container. The paperwhites grow very quickly so it's very gratifying too!

Forcing Spring

We are closing in on a year of being confined to our homes. 

I am anxiously waiting on Spring. I know I'm not alone in this and I'm always anxious for Spring to arrive any year!  I'm just extra excited this year!

I have always loved having forced bulbs in my house during the Winter months. Honestly, I never care if my paperwhites or amaryllis are potted up late and bloom in January instead of during the holidays. 

And I always buy hyacinths in the quaint little glass bulb jars when I find them in the stores. 

They are my favorite!    This one bloom is making the whole Library smell fabulous.

I love to put them around the house on tables near where we sit to relax, read or watch TV. 

They scent the entire room!

After the bulb blooms inside I plant it in my front yard 

(never in the back yard because bulbs are poisonous to dogs and Cooper would definitely dig them up!)

I ran to Wal Mart today for a few non-plant related necessities and treated myself to a spin through the garden center... and they were rolling out the forced Spring bulbs. Many are a $1 each. I grabbed a few to update my head or bust planters (I never know what to call them but I love them!) from their Christmas look below.

I love that Wal Mart has these forced bulbs each year because we don't always have the best luck with bulbs in the South. Using these inside and out in February also helps me be patient about planting a little longer!

I can't wait to get these potted up. I'll be sure to share on my Instagram account!