Pretty Holiday Homemade Gift: Forced Bulbs

What could be better than a little touch of spring in the middle of winter? I can't imagine anything nicer. In our area of the country winter means there is snow and ice on the ground, blustery winds and time to bundle up in every piece of clothing you've got. Don't get me wrong - I love winter and I adore living in the Northeast. But every once in awhile you can certainly catch me dreaming of spring.

Here is a lovely homemade gift to give for the holidays that will remind everyone of the gifts of spring that are just around the corner. This is a fairly easy craft to do, it just takes a little planning ahead of time. It is really nice to give forced bulbs just as they are getting ready to bloom. I like to give narcissus flowers - otherwise known as paperwhite flowers - they smell wonderful and have beautiful little white flowers. Those usually take about five weeks to bloom. So you would want to start them a month in advance of your gift giving. There are other types of flowers that are popular for "forcing" - such as the amaryllis and tulip. Check with your local gardening center for how long they will take to bloom.

To force narcissus you will need:

narcissus bulbs
white gravel bought at plant store
container for bulbs

You will also need:

craft items to decorate your container
(see description below)

It is really nice to create a decorative container for your bulbs. One way to do this is to decoupage your container. This is easy to do, you can do this with some pretty patterned gift wrap and some glue (most decoupagers like to use Modge Podge glue) and some foam brushes to paste it on. Cut the gift wrap into manageable pieces to place on the container. Yes, you can fold some of the pieces, the glue will make the gift wrap paper very pliable. Add a coat of glue to your container before putting the gift wrap paper onto the container. Then place the gift wrap paper on the container. Now add several thin coats of glue using your foam brush. Continue this until the entire container is covered with gift wrapping paper. Allow the container to dry before you add the flower bulbs and gravel.

Another way to decorate your container is to paint it. You can use regular craft paint and sponge paint it on for a soft effect. You can also use rubber stamps. Just have fun with it.

You can also tie fabric onto the outside of your container. Take a piece of fabric and gather it all around the container, it will have folds of fabric all around your container. Tie the fabric on with a ribbon. It is great to use a Christmassy color - such as green or red, or a Christmas themed pattern. Another idea is to use metallic fabric.

Once your container has been decorated and has dried completely, it is time to add the bulbs. Start by filling it halfway to 3/4 full with white gravel. Then add the bulbs - with the little tips of the green shoots pointing up. Now why should the green shoots be pointing up? Because those are the flowers!

Once your bulbs have been arranged, gently fill in gravel around your bulbs. Do not cover your bulbs completely with gravel, just sort of tuck gravel in around them, to half cover them.

Now you need to put your forced bulbs in a place where they can sit that is warm and dry, where they will get indirect sunlight (not be directly in the sun - it is too harsh for them). Being warm and dry helps the flowers grow. The other thing your bulbs are going to want very much is water! So fill the container with water up about to the lower part of your bulbs, not quite halfway mark. You are probably going to need to add more water once or twice each week, just keep checking the container.

Narcissus bulbs especially can grow very tall and very thin. Sometimes they can grow so tall that they cannot support their own weight and they flop over. They are easily helped by tying a ribbon around their middle. This seems to help hold them up.

In a month or so - the flowers will be ready. Enjoy your little touch of spring!