Early bloomers indoors – Forcing flower bulbs

Early bloomers for the garden are planted in the fall. Daffodils, tulips, and others need the frost to thrive in the spring. This also applies if you want to bring these colorful flowers into your home.

In the dark season, one quickly yearns for the greenery and vibrant colors of spring flowers. To make the longed-for spring happiness a reality, you can use this time to force the flower bulbs.

Already in the fall, you can secure the flower bulbs of your favorite early bloomers. It's not their blooming season yet—they're still resting. But you can already prepare the flower bulbs. To do this, plant the bulbs in a pot. Whether the pot is large or small, a bowl or a full balcony box doesn’t matter. Choose a container you like and that you’ll later want to place inside the house. Fill one-third of the pot with a soil mixture, consisting of equal parts soil and sand. Place the bulbs on top of the mixture and cover them with more soil until the container is nearly full. Leave a small watering rim.

Place the container with the flower bulbs outside in a protected spot. It should stay there until the following spring. The flower bulbs do not need to be brought inside for overwintering. On the contrary, it’s important that they experience the frost. Bulb flowers need the short cold shock to thrive later on. Flower bulbs in the garden are treated the same way as the forced bulbs in your container. Only from March onwards should you gradually bring the pots inside.

Depending on the plant species, the bulbs take 4 to 6 weeks to bloom indoors. When forcing the bulbs, you can already pay attention to creating beautiful flower combinations. A harmonious color arrangement makes a big difference. The bloom lasts about one to two weeks. Its lifespan depends on the room temperature. The warmer it is, the faster the flowers develop and fade. Temperatures should not exceed 20°C. Even though cold can extend the lifespan, the early bloomers cannot tolerate frost. Therefore, they should only be planted outdoors after the last frost if you want to see the plants bloom again in the garden next year.