Why wait until spring? Plant a bulb container for a preview of blooms to come.
In this video, the Chicago Botanic Garden shows how to create a bulb garden in a pot for winter forcing so you can enjoy a preview of spring in the midst of winter’s chill. Forcing is the act of putting plants through a cold period in order to stimulate blooming during an atypical time of the year. By potting up your bulbs now, you’ll be able to enjoy a spring garden in your living room in ten weeks.
What you need:
A shallow container with drainage holes
Enough spring bulbs to fill the container (plan on planting them close together, with an inch of space between bulbs)
Slightly moist potting soil
Assemble your container:
Cover the bottom of the pot in one inch of soil.
Add your largest bulbs in a layer, leaving approximately 1 inch between plants.
Cover these bulbs. If you are adding another layer of smaller bulbs, leave 1½ inches of space from the top of the pot. Add the small bulbs in this layer, leaving 1/2 inch of space between plants. Fill with soil to within 1/4 inch of the rim.
Lightly water the container.
Place your container in a cool, dark location. The container must never get above 50 degrees Fahrenheit or below freezing. Ideal spots are an unheated garage or, if you do a small pot, the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.
In ten weeks, your plants can be moved to a warm, sunny location. You should start to see growth within a week. (If you don’t want to bring your plants out at this time, they can hold for several months in a cool location.)
Once the plants begin to show flower buds, move to a less sunny location to prolong the blooming period.
After blooming, plants should be discarded. Forced bulbs rarely transplant well into the garden.
The best plants for forcing tend to be on the smaller side. Tulips and narcissus work very well, especially the smaller cultivars. Larger blooms will require staking, especially if they don’t receive enough sunlight. Iris reticulata, Scilla siberica, Crocus, and Muscari are all wonderful bulbs for forcing: they stay small, and come in beautiful jewel tones that will brighten up any winter windowsill.
