This year, despite promising myself to cut down, there has been a bit of a bulb (buying and then planting) bonanza. Too many for one post so today’s concentrates on bulbs prepared for inside the house. Forced bulbs such as hyacinths and paperwhite narcissi, in attractive containers, are excellent as presents and for breaking the gloom of late Winter and early Spring. Their colour and heady scent are especially lovely when so much outside is dying back.

The bulbs are just starting to push through the compost and the images below are just for guidance. Many of the bulbs should be in flower for Christmas if kept in the warmth, though for me part of the pleasure is watching them develop and there is more time to enjoy them once the festivities are over.

Pre-orders are being taken now for free delivery within 5 miles of Oxford or for pick up at the markets. Email: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com Deliveries start from Dec 1st and market dates are:

Wolvercote Market at the White Hart Community Pub: Nov 30th & Dec 14th

Sofacoma Market just off Lake St: Dec 7th

Here’s what’s available over the coming weeks:

Indoor Bulbs: Paperwhite Narcissus & Hyacinths

Paperwhite Narcissus: 5 bulbs in metal container £15; 3 bulbs in glass vase: £12.50

With their delicate , highly scented flowers on multi-headed stems these are one of the prettiest forced bulbs of all. See care tips below.

Forced Hyacinths: Delft Blue, Jan Bos & Woodstock: £15 for a metal container with 5 bulbs

These bulbs have been treated so that they can be forced into bloom for Christmas or for the sometimes gloomy, dark days of January and February. Planted afterwards in the garden, they should come back year after year with slightly more delicate blooms.

Delft Blue is a beautiful blue hyacinth with a wonderful sweet scent. Woodstock, for many, is the most beautiful hyacinth of all with its deep beetroot coloured blooms and lovely scent. Jan Bos is a gorgeous bright pink (not reflected in the image above) and also highly fragranced. All share the same care as Delft Blue.

Care Tips for Indoor Bulbs:

Tip 1: There aren’t any drainage holes in the containers so be cautious with watering: the soil needs to be kept moist, but not sodden as this might rot the bulbs.

Tip 2: You can speed up or slow down the flowering of the bulbs by either keeping them cool or by keeping them in the warmth. They are frost tender so need to be protected from minus temperatures, but if the weather isn’t freezing then putting them out at night can prolong their blooming.

Tip 3: Paperwhites can grow very tall and flop over if not given support. Twiggy branches make a good decorative framework. Alternatively, when they are around 5 cms tall you could water them with a solution of 1 part vodka to 7 parts water. This does not affect the quality of the flowers, but does stop the stems getting too leggy. Read more about it as described by James Wong.

The next post will cover the many varieties of small, hardy bulbs which can be enjoyed inside or out including iris reticulata, species tulips, dwarf hyacinths and many different narcissi.

If you would like to receive updates on what’s available, see below.