Flower bulbs bring color not only into your garden but also into your living room.  There's more than one way to get flower bulbs to bloom try the home forcing method in which you provide the flower bulbs with a chilling treatment yourself.  This way, you can have your first harbingers of spring in you home as early as Christmas.

Home Forcing: an interesting hobby!

Flower bulbs for flowering early indoor can be planted in an almost endless range of pots- ceramic, terracotta or plastic pots -  even glass jars.  What's more important than the type of the pot - is the amount of room that's available in which the flower bulbs roots are to develop.  Most bulbs need at least 4 inches of depth.  It's also important to make sure that your container allows good drainage for excess water, such as plenty of drainage holes or large stones at the bottom of the container.  Potting soil is perfect as growing medium.  For good results, it is absolutely necessary that the bulbs spend the indicated period in a cold room that is approximately 48 degrees F.  Although not absolutely necessary, it would be preferable to have this room dark.

If such a room is unavailable, the pots can also be dug into the soil in the garden - provided That the soil there is not too wet!  The schedule shows how long the bulbs need to be chilled and when you can expect them to bloom. 

                               Planting Date                Number of                          Earliest

                                                                     weeks  chilled                    flowering

                                                                                                                 starts on:

HYACINTHS          

Prepared                      9/15-12/15                      10-12                               12/15

Unprepared                 10/15-12/1                       11-13                               1/15

TULIPS

Blenda                       10/1-12/1                           14-15                               1/15

Showwinner               10/-12/1                             13-14                               1/25

Prominence                10/1-12/1                           14-15                               1/15

Yellow Present           10/1-12/1                           15-17                               2/15

Arma                         10/1-12/1                           15-17                                2/15

Princess Irene            10/1-12/1                           15-17                                2/15

NARCISSI

Teta-a-Teta              10/1-12/1                           12-13                                 2/15

February Gold          10/1-12/1                           12-13                                 1/15

Carlton                     10/1-12/1                           14-15                                 2/1

SPECIALTY BULBS

Crocus                     10/1-11/1                           14-15                                 2/1

Iris reticulata             10/1-11/1                           12-13                                 5/1

Muscari ameniacum  10/1-11/1                           14-15                                 2/1

These varieties are just a few from the many available.

Planting time starts in early September and last until Dec. 1st.  The earlier the bulbs are planted, the earlier they will come into flower.  If their cooling period is not long enough, the flower stems will be too short.

Too long a cooling period will result in excessively tall flower stems.  After the cooling period, the bulbs should be brought into a warm room.  Once this has been done, it will be another two or three weeks before the plants will be in full bloom.

Amaryllis & Paperwhites, however, can be put into a warm room immediately after purchase.  The bulbs require no chilling treatment.