Must. Grow. Something!

Forcing bulbs is very easy to do. Fill a pot with soil (I dampen the soil first by mixing it with water in a plastic bag), then push the bulbs into the soil until just their tops show. They need cold treatment before they’ll sprout and bloom. You can keep them in a refrigerator crisper drawer, or in a garage or basement, but the bulbs shouldn’t freeze. The ideal chilling temperature is 40 degrees. If you keep them in a refrigerator, do not store them with fruit (especially apples). The ethylene gas they give off will kill the bulbs.

I planted some tulips in pots late last fall and stored them in the refrigerator. For the best blooms you should let them remain in cold treatment for 14 weeks, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. In all this bleak weather I needed to see something green growing NOW so I pulled them out last weekend. Within 12 hours, the little yellow tips were already turning green and getting taller.

I chose short cultivars that wouldn’t flop all over the place in my pots. I planted 14-inch ‘Bellona Yellow’ (golden yellow), 12-inch ‘Purple Prince’ (lilac-purple) and 12-inch ‘Christmas Dream’ (rosy-pink).

It remains to be seen if my impatience did them any harm. But so far they seem to be thriving nicely.