Paperwhite Christmas

Paperwhite narcissus for Christmas should be started now. Old- time growers used to say to start them the week before Thanksgiving. In the East, they usually are grown indoors in water, which is logical because the bulbs will not grow out-of-doors there anyway and, after bloom, they must be tossed. In Southern California, I prefer to give them a fighting chance by growing them in soil, so that after bloom, they can store up strength for the next year. Since they are grown so closely together in pots, they should go into the ground the second year to give them a chance to fully recuperate from flowering. Don’t start paperwhites in the dark, the way you would tulips or hyacinths. If you do, they will stretch for light and topple when they start to grow. Recently, in Israel, work has been done on developing improved paperwhites. One is called ‘Ziva,’ another ‘Gallilea.’ Those that I have seen are better proportioned with more texture in the petals.

Rain gutters should be checked before the heavy rains arrive. Make especially sure that the downspouts are open, because if they’re clogged with leaves, rain can overflow the gutter and wreak havoc on the flower beds beneath.