When the cold, dark months of winter keep us from gardening, don’t despair. Bring the beauty of the outdoors indoors with pots of fragrant, Narcissus (paperwhites) grown in soil, pebbles, colored glass or marbles.The most common paperwhite is ‘Ziva’ famous for its large clusters of snow-white flowers, but for those who think their sweet, musky perfume is too pungent for indoor enjoyment, try Narcissus tazetta ‘Galilea,’ ‘Inball’ or ‘Winter Sun.’
To keep their foliage from flip-flopping over, plant them in tall glass cylinders or follow Cornell University’s Flowerbulb Research Program’s special “martini” concoction to keep them standing erect. After the green shoots are 1-2 inches tall, pour off all the water and replace with a mixed drink of one part gin or vodka to 7 parts water (do not use liquor with a high sugar content such as brandy or a liqueur).
Continue to use this solution instead of plain water whenever watering the bulbs and the greenery will grow a more compact 6-8 inches, but the blossoms will be just as floriferous and large as their non-liquor-imbibing counterparts.
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