FORCING FOR THE HOLIDAYS . . . SURPRISE BLOOMERS!

BY BRENDA BEUST SMITH

A wizard of the Merrimac, -

So old ancestral legends say, -

Could call green leaf and blossom back

To frosted stem and spray.

-- "Flowers in Winter" by John Greenleaf Whittier

Since we don't have any wizards handy these days, if we want flowers in winter, best to apply a little force!

Last week, thanks to Dodie Jackson and Pat Wisniewski (Right Bulbs for Forcing), I learned about specific varieties of amaryllis, hyacinths, narcissus (paperwhites) and tulips that those-in-the-know say are best for forcing .

I've always looked at forcing like making stew -  no adamantine rules, just general guidelines best to follow.  

 

Forcing is great fun - especially for children. A gamble that hopefully pays off with beautiful blooms, maybe fabulous fragrance, when the weather outside is cold and/or nasty. (Darker-colored hyacinths and narcissus usually have a delicate, but definite, scent.)  

BUDDING BRANCHES - In areas with colder winters, gardeners also force branches (azaleas, bridal wreath, camellias, dogwood, and other early spring bloomers). We usually don't. Our spring hits in February and flowers appear while northerners still have months to go before those buds decide to open.  

 

But if you have branches covered with buds, and a hard freeze is forecast (which will certainly kill buds), give it a try. Our first true freeze is usually the first week of December.

Cut  branches long enough to have budded stalks above the vase rim. Lightly smash branch's cut end with hammer.  Fill vase with warm water. Strip off all small branches & leaves that will be underwater. Set in vase, then store in a cool, dark corner until the buds start to open. Bring into light. Change the water regularly to keep it fresh. 

BULBS - More reliable to force in our subtropical pocket. Start now for amaryllis, hyacinths, narcissus and tulips blooming amid holiday decorations. Don't get in a hurry. Follow directions below about taking them out of dark and into light.  

Above, l to r, amaryllis, hyacinths, narcissus & tulips can all be forced in either water or pots
using - (below, l to r)  - pebbles, beads,etc. in shallow dishes, special forcing vase and in. 

soil in pots. At right, below, good for amaryllis or tulips in water: a tall vase with a heavy weight base.

Amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus are easiest. These two bulbs can go right in the garden after  forced blooms fade.  

Tulips and hyacinths are one shot beauties - but well worth the effort. These MUST be refrigerated or set in a cold spot 4-6 weeks in order to bloom. You can do this either before or after potting or placing in vases over water. Some nurseries will sell bulbs labeled "pre-cooled" but they're hard to find. Better to plan on doing your own cooling. Failing to refrigerate will trigger "blasting," i.e., blooming too close to the bulb before stalks fully develop.  

AMARYLLIS must have a very solid weighted vase or pot. Stalks may grow up to 2-ft. Nurseries carry special, heavy clear amaryllis-forcing vases. Keep the vase filled with water just below, but never touching, the bulb base.   

 

Set in a cool, dark spot. Change the water once a week until roots reach about 2 inches. Then bring out into more light, turning the vase daily so the stalks will grow straight. 

When forcing in soil, make sure only the lower, fatter bulb portion is submerged.  The neck must be well above the soil. Soak the soil once, let it drain completely. Don't water again until green stalks appear. Put in a cool dark spot until green stalks appear. Then gradually bring out into brighter light, turning pot so the stalk grows straight.

Some say adding a tablespoon of gin or vodka to the water after stalks reach full height will help them to stand up straighter. After blooming, transplant bulbs into your garden. Don't cut off greenery. Bulbs use dying greenery to replenish themselves for future blooms. 

PAPERWHITE NARCISSUS. These can be forced in pots, of course, but are most often forced in wide, shallow dishes filled with marbles, rocks or pebbles and filled with water. Again, make sure the bulbs are loosely balanced on the pebbles, and fill with water to just below, but never touching the bulb base.

It gets tricky changing water but usually that's not a problem. In central heat, water evaporates quickly and needs to constantly be replenished.  

 

Once the paperwhites reach some height, try adding a tablespoon of gin (cheap will work!) to the water.  Some say adding a tablespoon of gin or vodka to the water after stalks reach full height will help them to stand up straighter. After blooming, transplant bulbs into your garden. Don't cut off greenery. Bulbs use dying greenery to replenish themselves for future blooms.   

   

HYACINTHS & TULIPS. Whether you do water or soil, both these will not bloom without a cooling period of 4-6 weeks. It's just too warm here. Use a hyacinth forcing base or a narrow neck jar. Balance the bulb on top, fill to just below bulb base, and set in refrigerator - not touching walls. This might cause water to freeze. Or plant in soil with 1/2 bulb above soil.

TULIPS are trickier because their vases/pots need to be larger. Use a large clear heavy vase filled 1/4 with marbles, pebbles, etc. Fill with water to just below the top of marbles, etc. Set bulbs inside, flat side out. This will create a outer frame of leaves with flowers in center.

In soil, you can double plant tulips for a longer bloom period.  Put rocks, broken crockery in bottom around drain hole  to ensure good drainage. Fill 1/3 pot with good potting soil. Set bulbs in with flat side facing pot edge (see above) and leave a bulb-width space between them. Into these blank spaces, put a small stick. Cover bulbs with soil another 1/3 deep, leaving sticks protruding from top.  The pull out each stick and put a bulb in its place. That gives lower level bulbs room to sprout upward.  

Set both water-forced and potted tulips in a dark corner on concrete in the garage or a place cooler but protected if you can think of one. They need 4-6 weeks of cooling to produce flowers.   

When roots in water are about 2-3 inches long, or potted tulips are showing some green, gradually move them into brighter light, turning daily to make sure they don't lean toward the light. 

If you don't have storage room in a cool spot for potted tulips, refrigerate them first 4-6 weeks in a paper or mesh bag. Don't allow them to touch refrigerator sides. Then plant them, setting them in a dark spot until foliage appears. Also keep away from fresh fruit which gives off gases as they ripen. 

 

These are one-shot bloomers for us. The lack of adequate cold takes too much out of the tulips and hyacinths, and doesn't allow them to store nutrients needed for future blooms 

A FEW MORE TIPS . . .
    * If stalks refuse to stand up straight, try carefully inserting bamboo sticks next to bulbs with ties to support foliage. Or, for a more interesting "stake," use small-leafed branches from your garden.
    * Never allow bulbs forced in water to dry out completely.
    * If a "cool, dark spot" is a challenge, find a dark corner inside that is away from heating draughts.  Or set outside in a dark corner of the garage.
    * Don't overwater potted bulbs. Once bulbs are planted, set the pot in a bowl filled with water. Let it soak. Set the pot up, so water can drain freely out of the hole.  Once it drains completely, don't water again until you see green sprouts. Once a week, do the submersion again. Let the pot drain completely out of the drain hole before setting it back on a flat surface.

NOTE: Tulips, hyacinths & crocus for in-ground plantings MUST also have this 4-6 cooling period before setting in the garden or they'll "blast, ie, bloom too soon on very short stems (they need cool to produce those tall stalks and complete flowers).  

I'm curious to know what success you have had  forcing other bulbs to bloom for holiday color. Do share! 

*   *  *

L to r, Amaryllis 'Samba,'  A. 'Dancing Queen," A. 'Double Dream,' and A. 'Summertime.' Colorblends.com photos

    

FABULOUS NEW AMARYLLIS  My friend Sally Ferguson, who has been with the bulb industry for decades, sent these pictures.  I am so awed by how beautiful these are, wanted to share with you.

 

Amaryllis are a lazy gardener's dream. Every year for decades I gave my grandmother, Mimi Gracida, an amaryllis forcing kit (yes, those el cheapos sold in box stores). When the spectacular blooms (which she almost always got) faded, she'd give the huge bulbs back to me. My yard is full of amaryllis now.

 

***

  

 Pink magnolia, left, and plumeria 

 

TWO GREAT LAZY GARDENER PLANTS:

* Was totally awed the other day when I realized my pink magnolia, left above, is in full bloom. I'm not sure what triggered fall blooms in this normally-spring-flowering ornamental tree (or large shrub). Maybe heavy rains? But don't be shocked if this also happens to other spring bloomers. If this happens to you, do share. If they do, and you fear cold forecasts might kill the buds, try the branch forcing described above.

* I hope everyone who has, or wants to grow, plumerias caught Jill Carroll's article in Saturday's Houston Chronicle "Say goodbye to your plumeria, at least during winter."  Great article on this definitely lazy gardener plant. I only have two thoughts to add. 

1. Some plumerias (above right, frangaipani or Hawaiian lei flower) are still blooming, especially in southern areas of the Greater Houston area.  And ...

2. I find more Houstonians are leaving plumerias in the ground year-round. This is definitely risky, especially the farther north you live and not something that Plumeria Society of America (PSA) members would do with their prize blooms. But the more winters these plants do survive in the ground, the deeper their root systems will be, the tougher the plant will become and the more likely it is to survive even more winters.  

Jill's definitely right, if you don't like to gamble with plants, protect them. Even this is so easy. Just move potted ones indoors and ignore til spring. Don't water! Or pull them out of the ground, shake off all the soil, and store the bare stalks in the garage against a house wall. 

Jill gives more good advice and points out PSA is based in Houston (not Hawaii!). PSA's annual sales always offer the widest variety of plumerias perfect for us and are the best place to get advice from those who know our area. Become a member! www.theplumeriasociety.org

Brenda's  column in the LAZY GARDENER & FRIENDS HOUSTON GARDEN NEWSLETTER is  based on her 45+ years as the Houston Chronicle's Lazy Gardener. Brenda's gardening "book" - the Lazy Gardener's Guide on CD (a pdf publication) - is available wholesale to clubs as a fundraising item. Details: lazygardener@sbcglobal.net