please recommend bulbs for children to grow in greenhouse

I am a speech therapist (In zone 8b) working with high school children with disabilities (cerebral. palsy, mental retardation, autism...). We are so lucky that we have a greenhouse at our highschool just for our kids to use. Our kids would be thrilled if I could figure out what bulbs might bloom around Christmas and then some for spring. Next week we are working on research and finding ones that don't need a long chilling period, time from planting to bloom, etc.... But, I would really like some real life advice (I've only grown bulbs by planting them in the ground). So, if you would just take a moment and tell me what bulbs have worked for you, I would really appreciate it, and so will the kids. I'll be sure to post pictures of our plants once we get going. Thank you in advance! Erin

Also, if you happen to know of bulbs with crazy names, look really strange, or smell strongly (like society garlic).... I would so appreciate it!!!! One of our boys started complaining about "ewwww....pretty flowers....". He got a smile on his face when I showed him elephant ears....he said those were "not girly". I said a silent thank you to my own mother for growing those my whole life!

Hi!

I encourage you to try hippeastrum, commonly known as Amaryllis.

There is even one called San Antonio Rose that is hardy in your area.

Teach the children to pollinate the blooms and let them watch the pods form and then plant and grow the seeds. It is fascinating to watch!

There are exotic ones, like Chico and other cybisters that are quite unusual. Papilio is to die for...

Join us on the Hippeastrum/Amaryllis forum to learn more.

I know this isn't a bulb but a really cool plant for kids is Luffa gourds. I grew them one year in my
greenhouse and I was so thrilled to see where luffa come from. You let the fruit ripen until they are
very lightweight. Then you peel off the skin and find the "sponge" inside. Really cool.

HSTeacher, wow...beautiful flowers. We do have a small budget, so I'll see if we can buy the bulbs. I love the idea of having them learn to pollinate. That really would be a great task for our higher functioning kiddos. Thanks!

Tammy, Great idea! I think we (the classroom teacher and I) decided to go beyond bulbs and this one is an exciting idea! I have birdhourse gourds growing outside right now, but how fun to grow luffa and use it. Some of our kiddos still need lessons on hygeine and how fun to grow your own luffa. Thank you!

I've read that Gloriosas can be greenhouse (or even house) grown over winter months. It definitely has a different type flower.

Single flower:

Those are great! We are labeling different parts of flowers next week and these are almost "inside out". Very fun and thank you for the idea! Would you mind if I used a picture of your gloriosa in class next week? I'm just going to print it out for my classroom... no mass distribution or selling of it.

Help yourself...this link should have many other of my gloriosas, you are welcome to use any there.
http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/index.php?tabid=1788

I planted some of these iris late in the spring and in 4 weeks they were blooming:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/669/

Paperwhites and grape hyacinths are easy peasy to grow indoors. I wonder if you contact someone at the SA Botanical Garden or even some of the independent nurseries (maybe Fannick's, Shades of Green, I think that's the name...on Sunset near Alamo Heights, or even Milbergers) if they would donate some bulbs for you.

What school district are you in? If you have an ag teacher, contact them and see if they can put you in touch with the county extension agent. They might have some ideas, too.

Stephanie