Paperwhite

Paperwhite: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Bulb 30–40 cm tall and about 10 cm wide, with upright stems.

Leaves

Narrow, strap-like and grey-green; they grow fast once the bulb is planted.

Flower

Several pure white flowers in a cluster on one stem, with a small, short cup.

Scent

Strong and sweet; too heavy for some people in a small room.

Bulb

Large, round bulb with a brown, papery skin.

Flowering: December–February · Plants: October–December

Why grow it?

• Flowers in December, January and February, when almost nothing blooms outdoors.
• Pure white flowers in clusters, with a strong, sweet scent.
• Very easy: just plant it on pebbles with water or in potting compost, with no cold treatment beforehand.
• Flowers about six weeks after planting: plant a pot every two weeks for flowers all winter.
• Scents even a small room and suits a bowl, a pot or a glass vase.

Paperwhite: where does it grow best?

• Bright light without full midday sun; preferably cool, around 15–18 °C, because stems stay sturdier and the flowers last longer.
• Plant the bulbs in potting compost with a little sand, or on pebbles or gravel in a bowl with water.
• Outdoors only in a sheltered pot in a frost-free spot such as a veranda: it tolerates only about −3 °C.
• The bulbs can stand close together, 1–2 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -3 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Amaryllis: Big red or white flowers next to the fine white clusters.
• Hyacinth: Another scented winter bulb for a bulb arrangement.
• Cyclamen: Pink or red flowers in the same cool, bright room.
• Christmas rose: A winter bloomer for a pot on the patio or in the hall.

Paperwhite: when and how to plant it?

Plant in October–December.

1. Plant from October to December. Allow about six weeks until flowering: plant in early November for flowers around Christmas.
2. Choose a pot with drainage holes and potting compost, or a bowl without holes with pebbles or gravel.
3. Set the bulbs pointed end up, close together. In compost, the top third of the bulb stays above the surface.
4. On pebbles, fill the bowl around the bulbs. Add water to just below the base of the bulbs: the roots should sit in the water, not the bulb itself.
5. Water the compost generously, then keep it lightly moist.
6. Put the pot in a cool, bright spot and turn it now and then so the stems grow straight.

Care

Water

In compost, keep it lightly moist. On pebbles, keep the water level just below the bulb, top up weekly and change it when it turns cloudy.

Light

Bright light, no full midday sun. Turn the pot now and then for straight stems.

Support

Tall stems can flop. Support them with twigs or a ribbon, or move the pot somewhere cooler and brighter.

Feeding

Not needed: the bulb has enough reserves for one flowering.

After flowering

Bulbs grown in water are usually exhausted and do not flower well again: throw them away. Bulbs grown in compost can be left to grow until the leaves turn yellow; they rarely flower again indoors.

Tip: Grow it indoors on potting compost or on pebbles with water. Plant a pot every two weeks for flowers all winter, and keep it cool so the stems stay sturdy.

Paperwhite: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. Cut off the faded flower stems after flowering.

How:

• Cut spent stems off just above the bulb.
• If you want to keep the bulb, leave the leaves until they turn yellow so the bulb can build up reserves.
• If a bulb grown in water is exhausted, throw it away.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

Bulbs that stay in the ground for years form offsets. Separate them in June–July, when the leaves are yellow, and replant them the following autumn. They take a few years to flower.

Paperwhite: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −3 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: it tolerates only about −3 °C and is grown indoors in a cool, bright spot (preferably 15–18 °C).
• Keep it away from a radiator: heat makes the stems long and floppy and shortens flowering.
• If you plant bulbs grown in compost outdoors after the frosts, choose a sheltered, sunny spot; flowering there is not guaranteed.

Diseases and pests

• Long, floppy stems: It is too warm or too dark. Move the pot somewhere cooler and brighter and support the stems.
• Rotting bulb: The bulb is soft and smells musty, often because it sits in the water or in compost that is too wet. Keep the water just below the bulb and remove affected bulbs.
• No flowers: Only leaves appear. The cause is usually a small, dried-out or previously forced bulb. Buy fresh, large bulbs.
• Scent too strong: Put the bowl in a larger room or a cool hallway; a cooler spot also gives longer flowering.

Through the year

• January: Flowering. Check the water level or compost.
• February: Last flowers. Cut off spent stems.
• March: Throw away bulbs grown in water; let bulbs in compost keep growing.
• June: Bulbs still alive: leaves yellow, lift the bulb and store it dry.
• October: Buy and plant the bulbs.
• November: Plant for flowers around Christmas; a new pot every two weeks.
• December: Flowering. Keep cool.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of daffodils are poisonous, especially the bulbs: they are regularly mistaken for onions or shallots, and the leaves for leeks or wild garlic. So never store the bulbs with the vegetables in the kitchen or cellar. The sap from the stems irritates the skin and makes other flowers in a vase wilt sooner. Also poisonous to dogs and cats. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• Unlike tulips and hyacinths, a paperwhite needs no cold period: it flowers straight after planting.
• The species name papyraceus means ‘papery’; the English name ‘paperwhite’ refers to the paper-white flowers.
• In the wild it grows in the western Mediterranean, in sunny, dry places.