November Flower of the Month - Narcissus Paperwhite

This month we at Lisa Foster Floral Design have chosen to highlight a winter blooming flower called Narcissus Paperwhite. Often grown indoors this small but mighty fragrant flower brings a little brightness during the winter months.  Most commonly found in white it can also be found in yellow.  At Paperwhite's mature height it stands between 30-45 cm and blooms in bunches.  Paperwhites are in the same genus as Daffodils... so think of the Paperwhite as the Daffodils twice removed cousin. After planting the bulbs, flowers should appear between 3 - 4 weeks. FUN FACT: Narcissus were named after the legendary Greek youth Narcissus who was very handsome! No surprise since these are such lovely little flowers.

image from www.wikipedia.com

Kingdom: Plantae

Order: Asparagales

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Genus: Narcissus

Species: N. Papyraceus

Binomial Name - Narcissus Papyraceus

How to Grow Paperwhites Indoors (From The Gardeners Network):

Fill a shallow bowl, pot, or container part way with stones, gravel or soil. Set Paperwhite bulbs onto the stones, pushing them down just far enough so the bulbs are supported in an upright position. Put several of them  together. Don't worry about crowding.

Add water just to the bottom of the bulb. If the water covers too much of the bulb, they can rot. Put them in a cool, dark place for one to two weeks. When the roots begin to take hold, and the plant has sprung from the bulb, take the pot out into a brightly lit room. Watch closely and the blooms should start to appear a few weeks after that!

Information and images gathered from www.gardenersnet.com  and www.wikipedia.com

Kim on behalf of,