Breathe deeply as you enter my sitting room this month and you'll take in the powerful, almost intoxicating fragrance of paper-white narcissi.
Breathe deeply as you enter my sitting room this month and you’ll take in the powerful, almost intoxicating fragrance of paper-white narcissi.
I planted the Narcissus papyraceus bulbs last autumn, in a glass bowl layered with gravel. All I've done since then is to occasionally top up the reservoir of water beneath the gravel, just enough to get the bulbs growing and to sustain the display.
These indoor paper-white narcissi (or daffodils if you prefer) are primed and ready to grow before you even buy them. All you need do is add water to set them off, which start with emerging green shoots of leaves and flower stalks, with pure white roots anchoring the bulbs down into the gravel. These are hardy bulbs, so they don’t need a warm room to get them growing. In fact, they prefer cool conditions, which keep the stems stocky. Spoil paper-whites with warmth during these early stages and their stems get drawn and lanky. The stems are further weakened by an excess of shade, and will topple under the weight of the glorious flower heads as they open.
No, cool but light conditions are what paper-white narcissi need. My unheated greenhouse bench, which has been almost empty over winter, has been a perfect home for the developing daffodils.
As the paper-white flowers open, they release their strong, distinctive scent and I bring the bowls indoors. I know they won’t last long, and grown in gravel in this way the bulbs will exhaust their inner reserves, so won’t survive for another year. But gardening is all about enjoying the moment, and I'm sure we could all do with a pot a fragrant flowers to brighten up the house in the depths of winter.
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