A bulb vase resembles an hourglass, with a wide bottom and top but a narrow waist. The waist of the vase supports a single bulb so that it doesn't fall into the water in the lower portion, allowing you to force spring bulbs indoors for winter color. Roots from the bulb dangle into the water and take in the moisture needed to grow. Small bulbs and corms, such as hyacinths (Muscari spp.) and crocus (Crocus spp.), grow best in small bulb vases. These plants also grow as hardy garden perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8.
Place the bulbs inside a plastic bag filled with barely moistened peat moss. Store the bag in the refrigerator for approximately 12 weeks. This cold treatment helps the bulbs break dormancy so that they'll grow soon after planting.
Fill the lower portion of a bulb vase with water. Set a bulb in the upper portion of the vase so that the bottom of the bulb is just touching the water in the lower portion.
Set the vase in a 50-degree Fahrenheit, dark room for up to eight weeks, or until roots begin growing from the bottom of the bulb. Replenish the water in the vase as needed to maintain its depth, and change the water if it becomes discolored.
Move the vase to an area that receives six hours of bright sunlight daily, such as near a south-facing window. Continue to add water to the vase as needed until the flower dies naturally. Dispose of the bulb after flowering is complete.
Things You Will Need
- Plastic bag
- Peat moss
- Clean your used bulb vase in a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water to sanitize it before planting a new bulb.
- It takes up to 16 weeks for a forced bulb to bloom, but you can plant new ones every two weeks for an ongoing supply of fresh flowers.
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