Set paperwhite bulbs on pebbles or in potting mix with their tips showing, keep the water just touching the bottom of the bulbs, and they bloom in 3–5 weeks. They don't need chilling.
When to plant
Any time from fall through winter; plant batches in succession for flowers all season
Depth
Bulb tips exposed; in pebbles, the bulbs sit on top with only their bases in water
Spacing
As close as will fit without touching
Sun
Cool, dark spot (45–50°F) for 2–3 weeks to root, then a sunny window at 60–70°F
Water
Keep the water level just at the base of the bulbs
Soil
Washed gravel, pebbles or potting mix; a bowl with no drainage hole is fine for pebbles
Step by step
Choose a shallow bowl. With pebbles, a bowl without a drainage hole is fine, and with potting mix, use a pot with a drain hole.
Spread a layer of washed gravel or pebbles, or potting mix, leaving the surface ½–1 inch below the rim.
Set the bulbs flat end down, packed in as closely as will fit without touching, and add a few more pebbles around them to hold them upright. Leave the tips showing.
Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs, and keep it at that level. If the bulbs sit in water they rot.
Put the bowl somewhere cool and dark, 45–50°F, for 2–3 weeks while roots form.
When the shoots are about 3 inches tall, move the bowl to a sunny window at 60–70°F.
Once the flowers open, move it out of direct sun so they last longer.
After bloom
Indoors, paperwhites are a one-season show. Spent bulbs won't force again and aren't hardy outdoors in cold climates, so compost them and keep the bowl and pebbles for next year. In zones 7–10, you can try planting the spent bulbs in the garden instead. Reblooming there is hit and miss, so count any later flowers as a bonus.
