the beauty of Christmas in your home.
paperwhite narcissi
Six weeks from today, November 13, is Christmas Day
which means today is THE day to plant paperwhite narcissi
in order for them most likely to be in bloom inside on Christmas.
The fragrance and snow white blooms are symbols
of Christmas for me.
I love Ziva paperwhites and try to plant some for
"forcing" inside every year.
Some years I have bought the bulbs,
but then ran out of time to get them planted.
Not this year.
I planted several containers today.
And, I plan to plant several more containers this weekend.
Ziva paperwhites can be planted from mid-October through February.
Flowers emerge four to six weeks later.
Not all bulbs are created equal.
The bulb on the right is not a TOP quality bulb.
Bulbs, like many plants, are rated by size and quality.
Top quality narcissus bulbs are rated 17 centimeters plus (17 cm+),
which is the rating for the other bulbs shown.
Not only are the 17+ bulbs larger, they have more
shoots emerging per bulb and will have more blooms per bulb.
Catalogs/online websites from plant and bulb nurseries are the best
sources for finding large, healthy quality bulbs.
A single bulb planted in a small pot makes a thoughtful inexpensive Christmas gift.
Friends love receiving a gift that is special and "homemade".
A single top quality bulb in a special container can be part of a small centerpiece
like this one shown on my breakfast table last Christmas,
There are four blooms in this photo, but there is also another bud yet to open.
I must have been a good girl last year for Santa
to reward me with so many flowers from a single bulb.
The bulbs can be planted in soil or my favorite way... in pebbles.
French zinc seed pots found at the Round Top Antique Show
are the right size for a bulb.
A cut-down styrofoam coffee cup just fits inside the zinc pot and
makes the pot watertight to keep it from leaking and to keep it from rusting.
I love how the three little zinc pots look on the scalloped edge china dish.
When I add water to the pots, the table is protected from drips and splashes.
When adding water, the water level should be at the bottom of the bulb, no higher.
Here they are!
All dressed up with sheet moss and red-striped grosgrain ribbons,
they look oh so français.
Cereal/soup bowls are big enough for about three large bulbs.
These bulbs are peeking above the sheet moss.
This is the same cereal/soup bowl that has a red holly design on one side.
A gray holly design is on the other side.
Perfect for using with traditional Christmas colors and
for using with the current popular grey and/or white color trends.
Just turn the bowl around to fit the color scheme.
Seven bulbs or more can fit in a large vegetable/salad bowl.
Have you noticed I love scalloped edges?
The bulbs will receive bright sunlight in my breakfast sunspace as they grow.
All of these will be for sale in my annual French Country Christmas Event.
Any that do not sell will make great gifts for friends and/or
great centerpieces on my holiday tables.
A one-page quick summary of how to "force" paperwhites
can be printed for your files or can be pinned to
your Christmas Pinterest board.
Did you miss the first post in the Christmas Beautiful Ideas series?
a gorgeous fabric reindeer gift tag.
Brrr...
Our first hard freeze of the year was this week.
It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!
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SUNDAY
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