Looking after forced bulbs

Forced bulbs are bulbs that have been cooled in a dark space so that they are ready to bloom when water and light are provided.

Forced bulbs are a real joy in the winter.  They add colour and perfume when it is more challenging to buy locally sourced fresh flowers.

Your bulbs will arrive when they have been started off by us at HQ.  They will be in a vessel without holes because the bulbs need a constant source of water to grow.

The vessel (bowl or teacup) will have a layer of stones at the bottom. The bulbs are sat on top of this stone layer and then a small amount of Coco coir mixed with Peat free compost is placed on top to hold them in place.

Bulbs are actually pretty self sufficient. They just need water and light.  

The key to indoor bulbs is to water them enough so that the base of the bulb is touching the water.  The rest of the bulb should not sit in water because it will rot.  This year, I'm going to include a wooden lollypop stick to help you to do this.

Check the water level every few days.  The bulbs use a lot of water and our homes generally speaking are warmer than we think.

The warmer and brighter the place where you keep you bulb, the quicker it will grow and bloom. The cooler and darker you keep them the slower the process will be.

There is no need to feed forced bulbs.  Once they are flowering, just keep the water topped up and they will stay beautiful for as long as possible.

It's that simple. 

Like any other flower, they won't last forever.  Read here about what to do when they stop looking their best.

We'll have the bulbs up on the website by next week and will let you know when this is done!