Choose a potting medium Since a bulb contains all it needs to bloom the first year, the planting mix doesn't have to provide any nutrients. However, it must have excellent drainage gravel and sand are alternatives to potting soil. Select a container It can be anything you'd use for other houseplants. Again, it has to drain well. Fill with planting medium to within 2 in. of the rim for large bulbs; closer for smaller ones. Arrange them Place the bulbs on the soil with the pointed end up. Don't use the spacing guidelines given for outdoor planting; you want a much fuller display. Crowd them so that they are almost touching. When they're positioned, the tops should be at a level about 1/2 in. below the container rim. Fill in around them so that the bulb tips are just barely poking out of the soil. Put the pots in their chilling spot Maintain complete darkness as much as possible. Keep the soil in the containers evenly moist, but, remember: no standing water. There's little else to do but wait patiently for the chilling to work its magic. After the prescribed number of weeks, start checking the containers frequently for signs that the bulbs are ready. Such indicators include roots growing out of the drainage holes in the pots or shoots starting to grow. Sometimes this happens very quickly, within the space of a couple of days. These sprouts will be white and sickly looking. Don't worry; they'll turn green when they get light. Once they sprout, give bulbs a gradual transition to warm temperatures Start them out in the coolest spot of your home. The cooler your house is, the better it will be for them and the longer the flowers will last. If their shoots are white, give some protection from bright sun for a couple of days. After that, the more light, the better. After the show is over, you have a couple of choices. If you've grown the bulbs in potting soil, try planting them outside after the foliage turns yellow. It takes a couple of years for bulbs to recover fully and bloom again, so put them in a cutting garden or an out-of-the-way corner (hyacinths generally won't perennialize well). If they've been in gravel, sand or water, they'll be pretty well spent and should be tossed on the compost heap. Hyacinth | Dwarf Iris | Spring Crocus | Tulip | Daffodil | Forcing Bulbs Provided By Garden Gate Magazine |