Last month, I wrote about the failures of my attempts to force paperwhites. The first batch of paperwhites, which were packed in a small container to fit on a windowsill, lost almost all their buds. The second batch was my hope, as I thought it would bloom just in time for the Christmas season. They didn’t.

The paperwhites in this picture are bigger than the last one, but they are still not blooming. Why?

I was watering the plants with a Mixture of alcohol and water . Maybe that stunted them too much? Perhaps it was the inconsistent watering? Since I cannot see the water level, it’s hard to tell. Is there not enough space for roots to grow?

If at first you don’t succeed . . .

On the 16th of December, I potted my last batch of paperwhites. This time, in potting dirt. In the absence of any additional window space, I placed them in the basement at 50degF (10degC), under my seed-starting lights, and on the heating mat.

On January 4, I discovered that they had grown up to the light. Imagine my surprise when, after raising the lights, I discovered that they had grown right up to the fluorescent bulbs.

The flowering short stalks were pressed against the light. The taller flowers grew around and up the reflector shield.

They grew, but they didn’t grow. Bloomed .

Hallelujah! This is the moment I’ve waited for!

Next year I will definitely try this, and check on them more often. No alcohol, stronger light, lower temps, bottom heating, cooler temperatures, and potting soil. The ones in the mugs haven’t yet bloomed. I’m going put them under lights today to see what happens. I’m taking them off the shelf to make space for…

It’s time for you to force the hyacinths.

The potting soil paperwhites have just finished blooming, so their 10 weeks of chilling is over. I’ve taken up valuable refrigerator space to ensure the hyacinths receive the chilling that they require. I can’t be sure that the basement temperature will remain between 40degF (4.4degC) to 50degF (10degC), as they need. One of the plants that has already started to show buds was a gift purchased by a friend at Aldi. I don’t know how they manage to get theirs to flower so early.

You can pay someone to grow your plants.

If I had forgotten to order hyacinths, or if all of them were moldy in my refrigerator, I wouldn’t have hesitated to buy some at Aldi or anywhere else I could find. Winter is a fight to maintain your sanity, and you should use every legal means to win. You shouldn’t limit yourself to forced bulbs.

The grocery store gave me this lovely pot of primroses as a gift from my husband.

Winter-hardiness is a great feature of these primulas. If I can keep these primulas alive for the rest of winter, I will be able to plant them this spring. I’ll enjoy them for many springs. My husband loves their scent, but I can’t really smell anything. This makes me sad because I love the fragrance of flowers. Some members of our family can smell primrose, while others cannot. What about you?

Cabin Fever Bed

Helleborus Niger trying to bloom. It was the 10th of November.

By December 21st, the stem will have a slight elongation.

Be still my heart! This bud has it opened up a little? 2nd January Two more buds?

Christmas rose is the common name, but that’s no longer true. I could see flowers blooming by March. There is a thin layer of snow on the plants, and I do not expect any further progress this weekend. At least I now know that there is a bright future ahead!