How to care for forced bulbs from the grocery store

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If you're out shopping this winter and you see something that you recognize as bulbs not yet flowering, I strongly recommend that you buy them, instead of cut flowers. The reason for this is that instead of just watching flowers die, you will get to watch them bloom. And if you're not sure what to do with them, I recommend that you give them to me so I put them on my patio here in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Of course, if you can't, I understand. But you don't have to live somewhere with warm winter temperatures to enjoy them, even if it's snowing outside. Just don't put them outside, or they'll die! The temperatures here in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, never get cold enough to harm these flowers (it doesn't snow here), which are narcissus, hyacinth, and tulips. So just put them in a sunny window and they'll bloom.

By the way, if you're wondering what "forcing" means, it just means that the bulbs have been handled in such a way that they will start blooming long before they really should, even in warm climates. I've planted a lot of bulbs here, and I usually don't see flowers until late January, or even February. Of course in Minneapolis, you wouldn't see flowers until spring, so the forced bulbs are kind of nice to have in the house in the winter. They've been tricked, in a greenhouse, to believe that it's already time for them to flower.

There's not really a lot you need to do, other than remove the container from whatever holder it originally was in, in order to allow you to water it, and let the water flow through. I couldn't find a saucer for this pot, so I used an old cereal bowl. And you don't absolutely have to do that, but I find that it helps the plants do better with some fresh water, and to not stand there with their feet wet.

But if you're worried that you'll do something wrong, don't worry. You can just buy them, take them home, and they'll bloom. The bulbs have all the energy they need, which is a nice thing about bulbs. Enjoy!

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