Forcing hibiscus bulbs indoors can entertain you when the garden, for the most part, is taking a long winter’s nap. With the holidays behind us and the new year underway, now’s the time to prompt a bit of spring inside.
I typically buy a bunch of hyacinth bulbs each autumn, at the very end of the Denver growing season. You probably can still find some homeless hyacinth bulbs at your favorite greenhouse or even at the big box stores, where the bulbs likely will be clearance priced.
If you look through the net packaging at the hyacinth bulbs, you might see small shoots of green poking out of the bulb tip. These bulbs want to grow, and they won’t ask for much: just a bit of water, at minimum, or maybe some soil.
In their purple, papery jackets, Hyacinth bulbs are self-contained: they have all they need in terms of food contained within the bulb. Part of the fun of forcing bulbs is watching them unfurl their buds and flowers up close, in slow motion.
The easiest way to force hyacinth bulbs is to simply place them in special glass containers designed to support the bulbs above water. Hyacinth bulbs will send down roots into the water, and eventually you’ll see foliage, a bud, then a colorful and fragrant flower. Recently, I noticed hyacinth bulbs in these glass containers reasonably priced at 3 for $10 in the flower department at Safeway. If you purchase these glass containers shaped for bulbs, you'll have them in the future.
Adding hyacinth bulbs to potting soil is easy, too. This link to my earlier article includes more tips for growing hyacinth bulbs inside.
Sometimes, spring fever spikes early. Forcing hyacinth bulbs might be just what you need to add a bit of spring as an antidote to winter.
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