Ep 187. Paperwhites the Miracle of the Unseen

Paperwhites like to party when grown in water, adding alcohol to prevent flopping. The same is true when forcing Amaryllis. Plus, there's a miracle in the unseen.

Both bulbs can only flower once in water. However, Amaryllis bulbs can bloom annually in potting mix, and paperwhites can bloom for about two years; Mary Stone describes how.

Then she shares a Greek Myth about Paperwhites Narcissus then encourages listeners to observe and admire flowers beyond our senses with an analogy about the miracle of how our bodies work, along with plants and wildlife.

Thanks for tuning in!

Related Posts and Podcasts you'll enjoy: 

Paperwhites & Amaryllis like to Party

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Ep 39. The Magic of Sprouting Avocado Seeds

I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com.

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Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
                                        AskMaryStone.com

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Transcript

Ep 187 Paperwhites the Miracle of the Unseen
Sat, Dec 28, 2024 12:02PM • 12:09
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
paperwhites, Amaryllis bulbs, winter withdrawals, fragrant bulbs, Greek myth, narcissistic personality, floriography, heirloom varieties, hybrids, water method, alcoholic drinks, continuous bloom, indoor care, dormant period, new year
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00
Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights, and discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about.

Mary Stone  00:25
 Hello there, and welcome to the snowy screen porch. What a delight to have a white Christmas here in Blairstown, New Jersey. Though, for years, I enjoyed the family visits to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, as we spoke about in the last episode Merry Season of Memories. I hope you had a joyous holiday, too. I want to thank those who reached back about the last episode. I loved hearing some of your stories of your memories, and I adore Diane's image of a cardboard shipping box. It actually rotated, kind of like a GIF file, I guess you say, with the words memories on each side, and it said, don't forget to open them up, meaning your memories to have a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. Indeed, we are home for the holidays and our most beautiful memories and dreams. 

Mary Stone  01:17
So today's topic is about Paperwhites and Amaryllis that liked to party, no kidding, and I learned something new. I didn't know that sometimes Paperwhites stink, but isn't that a matter of opinion? What may smell good to you may not smell good to me, and it starts like this.

Mary Stone  01:35
Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, it's starting already - gardening withdrawals. Margaret of Washington, New Jersey, asked how to force Paperwhite bulbs, reminding me of a simple winter withdrawal remedy that makes an excellent pick-me-up gift for yourself and others. It's as easy as putting bulbs in water with gravel. In a few weeks, you'll have fragrant white flowers instant delight. But not so fast. While researching the folklore behind paperwhites, I came upon a story written by Vicki Johnson, a dear friend and a retired columnist for the New Jersey Herald, titled Paperwhites can smell sweet or stink. I had no idea, but first, the folklore. I'm a sucker for good stories. 

Mary Stone  02:22
The cliffnotes version of the Greek myth is about a handsome, vain young man named Narcissus who loved himself only, mistreating others, including Echo, who fell in love with him. But Narcissus only fell in love with his reflection and wasted away looking at himself in the water. He died along the water's edge and was replaced by the plant Narcissus in full bloom. The moral of the story is to have humility rather than arrogance. The myth was portrayed in works of art and music in the 20th century, leading to the term Narcissistic Personality Disorder, a mental health condition of people with an inflated sense of self-importance and lack of compassion- It sounds like an ex-husband I once knew. A happier connotation of Paperwhite is in floriography, the symbolism of flowers. When receiving a bouquet of narcissis, it means you are the only one. So, on to the stinky versus sweet-smelling paperwhites. 

Mary Stone  03:26
Thanks to Vicki, I learned that the heirloom varieties, such as Chinese Sacred Lily or yellow petaled Grand Soleil Dior, are the fragrant ones we remember as kids. And these lovelies need to be grown in soil, not the nifty Water Method. I'm curious why that is, come to think of it, but when you think about it, bulbs are not meant to live in water alone, and neither are we. Though narcissists think the world revolves around them and they can live on their own, not that I'm holding a grudge. 

Mary Stone  03:58
In the 1970s, hybrids cropped up in Israel, offering more florific multiple flowers per stem, and they have taken over the market. Ziva is the most popular, with a musky smell, but American Meadows, who sell Ziva describes them as sweet smelling. One reviewer wrote, My only disappointment was that the wonderful paper white narcissis scent was very weak. At least they didn't smell like cat urine or dirty socks, as others report. Oh my. 

Mary Stone  04:29
So here is the quick how to grow your bulbs in water. Choose a wide mouth container about four inches deep with no drainage holes to force paperwhites in water, spreading an inch or two of marbles or stones, position your paper white bulb side by side, pointy end up on top of the stone layer. The tight fit will keep them from toppling over, and a grouping is far more appealing. Add another layer of stones to fill in the gaps covering the bulbs just above the widest part. Keeping the pointy tips above the stones, add water to the bottom of the bulbs, as if they're sitting on the water, and maintain the level throughout the time you're growing them. If you fill the water too high on the bulbs, they will rot. They prefer to be cool, say 65 degrees, and don't need sunlight until they develop roots; once they do, move them to a sunny but cool window. Too much warmth will cause them to grow leggy and flop over. That's where the party begins. I hope I have piqued your interest. 

Mary Stone  05:33
Once in flower, move them out of the direct sunlight so the blooms will last longer. It turns out, paperwhites enjoy a cocktail party, a continuous drink of alcohol keeps them from toppling over, which is the opposite effect it has on most of us. Once the green shoots grow about two inches, pour off the water and replace it with a seven-to-one ratio of water to spirits such as vodka, tequila or whiskey, and continue watering them with the same mix. Skip the wine or beer, though, as they're too high in sugar. 

Mary Stone  06:05
So it's so interesting how it works because the alcohol stunts the growth of the stem by about a third without impacting the blooms. Essentially, it inhibits water uptake. We've all heard that alcohol is dehydrating. More is not merrier, either. Too much alcohol will overdose the plant, causing it severe problems. Plants and people Same, same. Or, if you prefer not to give up your good cheer, rubbing alcohol will work, too. You can start a new pot every couple of weeks for a continuous Bloom to help you through the winter blues. Maybe it's best to allow your paperwhites to drink alone, though people may begin to talk. Garden Dilemmas, AskMaryStone.com.

Mary Stone  06:49
So it turns out paperwhites are not the only bulbs that like to party. Amaryllis bulbs do as well. If you have a problem with flopping. I have a gift that I received of an amaryllis already in bud, and I'm watching the alien looking beefy, blooms open, and it's such fun to do, but the stems are bending badly. So that's when I looked into this to find out again if I can offer it a drink to grow an amaryllis bulb in water. It's very similar to paperwhites, but layer three inches of stone place only one bulb. They like to be solo and add stones alongside to stabilize it. And in this case, you keep the water slightly below the bulb so that it doesn't encase the bulb because it will cause it to rot. And then begin offering alcoholic drinks the same seven to one ratio of water to spirits after two inches of growth have emerged. 

Mary Stone  07:43
And it's true that paperwhite and Amaryllis bulbs can only flower once in water and won't survive if left in the ground outside in our zones 5b to 6, though they can be in zones 9 to 11 and in zone 8 if protected. But Amaryllis bulbs can bloom annually for up to 40 years in a potting mix inside as can paperwhites for about two years. 

Mary Stone  08:06
I've enjoyed three Amaryllis bulbs for years, and here's how. Whether you grow them in soil or water, just cut the flowers as they fade to an inch above the bulb, and then transplant the bulb into a pot, leaving half of the bulb above the soil. Be sure the pot is deep enough to accommodate six or eight inches of soil below the bulb for root space. Giving it plenty of sun will allow the long strap-like leaves to grow as a house plant until after the risk of frost come spring. Then, put the pot outdoors, protected from the hot afternoon sun, keeping the soil moist but not soggy, and fertilize it monthly to keep the foliage growing. I have to smile because sometimes the amaryllis leaves get so long and leggy, I just kind of lean them against the window. When it's an indoor plant, it's very cool; actually, all the photosynthesis going on to bring life to the bulb for its next sprout.

Mary Stone  09:01
And then, come fall, I bring the bulbs into the garage and stop watering them. So they go dormant. Once it cools to about 55 degrees, is when they go dormant. Our garage does not normally get below 32 degrees. Sometimes, it does a little bit, and that's fine, but certainly, it can't get to be a deep freeze, or that will destroy the bulbs. After two to five months of rest without watering, you can rotate when you bring the bulbs inside to extend the bloom. They say you should repot the bulbs in fresh potting mix. And I suppose that's true because critters can be in those pots of soil that we're living outside, but I just keep them separate from my indoor plants until I notice that there's nothing emerging other than the new growth from the bulb. And once that new growth emerges, you're not going to be giving them alcoholic drinks because they're grown in soil. That's only a trick for water-grown bulbs. So you see, you can save the spirits for yourself. Laugh.

Mary Stone  10:01
 In all seriousness, while you are marveling over the miracle of the seed going to bloom, just think about how beautiful that flower and fragrance is. But more think about what's happening within the unseen. It's a reminder of what's happening inside of us that we sort of take for granted. The miracle is beyond our senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. It is truly a gift these bodies we live in. May we always treat it with great respect as we should all living things, including our plants and our wildlife, of course. And sometimes more is less, like the paperwhites hybridized for more plentiful blooms. Maybe there are more flowers, but we lose the characteristic that we so enjoy, of that sweet smell of the heirloom bulbs. But then perhaps some prefer the musky smell that some say smells like dirty socks or cat urine. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or, should I say, in the nose of the beholder. 

Mary Stone  11:03
So, thanks for coming by and sitting with me on this rather cold screen porch. We are on the cusp of a new year. So much to look forward to and so much to look back on in terms of all that we have grown and learned in this garden of life. I hope you have a glorious new year, and look forward to it with optimism and cherish all the unseen as well as seen beauty in the world around us, and not take anything for granted, but relish and enjoy and be grateful. I look forward to the next time on the screen porch. Have a great day. 

Mary Stone  11:38
You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at GardenDilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elainetone. Garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch, and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life, have a great day.