Nothing is more luxurious than spring flowers blooming in winter. And no one understands this better than Scandinavian gardeners, who fill their rooms with fragrant blooming bulbs—including hyacinths and paperwhites—at Christmastime. Here are 13 beautiful case studies to help you recreate the look:
N.B.: It's the end of the season to buy spring-blooming bulbs. But if you want to force your own, we've sleuthed a few sources where hyacinth, tulip, paperwhite, and amaryllis bulbs are still in stock. See below for shops and prices.
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Above: White muscari bulbs in bloom. Photograph via Fröken Knopp.
Hyacinths
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Above: Photograph via Mariaemb.
You can force bulbs to bloom by putting them in dirt or in water. All the nutrients they need to bloom are stored in the bulb, so all tiy really need to do is provide a sunny, warm spot to encourage them.
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Above: Photograph via Mariaemb.
Hyacinths are an ideal bulb to force because they're relatively diminutive in size. Short, stubby stems won't flop over.
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Above: Photograph by Constanḉa Cabral via Flickr.
If you force bulbs in a vase, make sure the water level is high enough to reach the roots but lower than the base of the bulb (so the bulb doesn't rot).
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Above: Photograph via Weekday Carnival.
You can create a mini open-air container garden by interplanting bulbs with other low growers. Mixing textures makes the bulbs' leaves look even more velvety.
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Above: Photograph via Weekday Carnival.
Forced bulbs look so full of promise when the leaves shoot out from the papery brown base.
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Above: Photograph via Vintage House.
For a tabletop arrangement, put forced bulbs in a low wooden bowl and cover their bases in a carpet of green moss.
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Above: Photograph via Holmsunds Blommor.
Wrapped in moss and wire, hyacinth bulbs look like tabletop pets.
Tulips
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Above: Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.
To force tulips, push the bulbs into the surface of moist soil.
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Above: Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.
To get bulbs to bloom in winter, you have to persuade them it's spring. Put them in a paper bag in the bottom drawer of your refrigerator for eight weeks before bringing them out into a warm, sunny room to bloom.
Paperwhites
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Above: Pots of paperwhite bulbs in a row at Garbo Interiors in Stockholm.
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Above: Photograph by John Merkl for Gardenista.
Amaryllis
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Above: Photograph by Emil Evans.
Amaryllis bulbs, a Christmastime tradition, are widely available in the US. See sources below.
Where to buy bulbs:
- Hyacinths. A package of 15 light blue, fragrant Delft Blue Hyacinth bulbs is $9.18 (a 60 percent discount off regular prices) at Holland Bulb Farms.
- Tulips. Early-blooming single tulips force well indoors; a 12-bulb bag of Purple Prince tulips is $3.98 (a 50 percent discount off regular prices) at Holland Bulb Farms.
- Paperwhites. Narcissus Paperwhite 'Nir' bulbs are $3.32 for five bulbs or $14.12 for 25 (50 percent discount off regular prices) and available until they sell out at Brent and Becky's Bulbs.
- Amaryllis. Given a special treatment to make them bloom by Christmas, Amaryllis Alfresco bulbs will produce a profusion of white flowers; $17 apiece at White Flower Farm.
For more Scandi-style blooming bulbs, see Shopper's Diary: Garbo Interiors of Stockholm.
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