Bulbs: Brent and Becky sale continues, 1 by jmorth

jmorth wrote:
Yes, the potted bulbs are to be forced (kind of inside). The procedure used is as follows: After being potted up and thoroughly H²Oed I let them sit in the basement for a week to initiate good root growth. Next week I will put the lids on the tote-boxes and place them in a covered stairwell that connects the basement to the outside (pictured). Then I'll cover the totes with several old comforters and close the basement door. I think being in the enclosed totes the watered pots kind of make their own humid atmosphere because I'll only need to water them 2 or 3 times over the next 3 months. The comforters are placed over and around the totes so that once they are cold the cold is maintained without much variance despite what old man winter rages about above. Toward the late end of Feb. I'll start to remove several pots per week and let buds form under a bank of fluorescent lites in the basement (where the temp over winter hovers around 60° degrees)
I believe this incremental introduction to warmer temps allows the blooms longer duration.
I use early single, early double, and Triumph tulips mostly though some of the species and some Darwins work well too.The short stems of most of these combat floppiness. I usually stick with shorter daffodils for the same reason.
There's a pot of crocus and 1 of muscari in there this year. The single largest pot contains Star Gazer lilies. Hyacinths work well too (but I usually force them on marbles in H²O in a dedicated refrigerator).
This method has served me well for a decade and rewards our house with mid to late winter bloom in a cascade of colors.