You are here:

Bulbs/saving paper white narcissus bulbs for reuse

Advertisement

Expert: Long Island Gardener - 12/23/2007


Question
Again this year we have recieved about 20 paper white narcissus bulbs from various friends, and they have bloomed beautifully. We hate to throw out the bulbs after they have blossomed, but are not sure whether they can be stored and repotted in gravel after having had a rest period. Can you please advise?

Answer
I feel your pain, Jon.  It is so hard to toss those Paperwhites.  So lovely, so fleeting, such a waste.

Nope, you can't keep them.  If you were growing them in a mild, frost-free, balmy climate, in full sun, in rich soil, you might get blooms next year, you might not.  Offsets are common with Daffodils -- and are in the large scheme of the universe just another Daffodil.  Gravel and darkness build no blooms for next season.  No Sun, no Soil, no Narcissus.

Van Engelen sells Paperwhites each year for a song -- still they are hard to discard.  Unfortunately, Jon, some things just were never meant to be.

Bulbs

All Answers

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.

Experience

Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.