Forcing Bulbs for Christmas Blooms

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Now is the time to force bulbs for Christmas blooms!

Please don’t be upset that I am already mentioning Christmas! As Jenn mentioned with her post for 17 Matching Christmas Pajamas for the Family – there are certain things for the season that need to be done ahead of time. Trust me, I’m not rushing my favorite season of fall. I just know how much y’all love the holidays as much as we do. Therefore, I want you to be as prepared for your seasonal greenery, flowers and decor as possible. One way to accomplish this is by forcing bulbs for Christmas blooms.

Start Now

The need to start now is simply because it takes some time for bulbs to flower and bloom.

amaryllis bulb – 6 to 8 weeks to grow and bloom
paperwhite bulb – 4 to 6 weeks to grow and bloom
hyacinth bulb – 13 weeks to grow and bloom

You don’t need to be a master gardener nor have a green thumb. Forcing bulbs to grow indoors is very easy. I pinky-swear promise.

Read These Posts

In the past I have shared how to Easily Grow Paperwhites – Getting Holiday Ready, Growing Paperwhites in Unique Containers and Force Amaryllis Bulbs for Christmas.

Forcing bulbs indoors is an easy and fun gardening project. You can find loose bulbs at your local garden center or online shops. Even easier, you can use a kit like I did for the amaryllis.

Everything I needed for growing success was included inside the box – even the planting container! My bulb was listed as Red Lion.

What you need:

Amaryllis bulb: This is a link to 3 Red Lion amaryllis bulbs. If you want a kit, I love THIS red one or THIS variegated varietal.
Paperwhite bulbs: 15 bulbs. Or these extra large paperwhite bulbs are good.
Grape hyacinth bulbs: I purchased these Delft Blue grape hyacinth bulbs. This is a great kit that has the vase and a hyacinth bulb
Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
8″ diameter growing container. Pot, for soaking

How You do it:

Each bulb has slightly different growing needs.

Follow the directions from your local garden center or include with packaging.
Read my posts I included above.

During the winter months I love having live plants and color in the house. Blooms will last for weeks.

Tip 1

Stagger your bulb plantings by a couple of days. This way you will have something blooming all through the season

Tip 2

Use different types of containers that suit your home decor and taste.

This year I am trying to force grape hyacinth bulbs. They take a bit longer to grow so they may not bloom before Christmas. But, I will have pretty blooms in the new year. I will keep you posted on my progress.