How to Grow and Care for Paperwhites

• Grow paperwhites indoors in a pot filled with Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix or in a shallow bowl with water and pebbles.
• Water paperwhites when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil is dry, or keep enough water in shallow containers to cover roots but not the bulbs.
• Use stakes with twine, ribbon or string to support flowering stems.
• Paperwhite bulbs can also be planted outside in the fall in warm climates.

Wouldn't some bright, fragrant blossoms perk up your house this winter? The paperwhite narcissus, a relative of daffodils and jonquils, is easy to grow indoors and produces small, fragrant flowers on 12- to 18-inch stalks. Most paperwhites display pure white blooms, but yellow and orange varieties are also available.

One thing to note with paperwhites is that all parts of the plant—stems, leaves, flowers, and especially bulbs—are toxic to people and pets including cats and dogs. If you have kids or pets roaming your space, be sure to keep paperwhites out of their reach.

Where to Grow Paperwhites

Once they've sprouted, paperwhites prefer a cool spot with bright, indirect light. A place near a window that stays cool is a great spot for paperwhites. Before paperwhites start growing, you'll want to keep the bulbs in a cool, dark place. Read under “How to Force Paperwhites to Bloom” for more information.

How to Grow Paperwhites in Soil

The most common way to grow paperwhites is to plant them in pots indoors. They are especially popular for decorating at Christmastime. If you want flowers for Christmas or winter, plant paperwhites in late fall to early winter. 

1. Select a shallow container with drainage and fill it with a few inches of Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix.
2. Nestle the paperwhite bulbs into the soil, pointed end up. Paperwhites don't need a ton of room, so you can pack multiple bulbs in a single pot.
3. Add additional soil if needed–the top ⅓ of the bulbs should remain uncovered. 
4. Water thoroughly and let drain. 
5. Your plant's first home should be a cool, dark location. Once you see stems and leaves sprouting, move your plant to a cool place with bright, indirect light.

How to Grow Paperwhites in Water

Paperwhites can also be grown without soil. If you are seeking a more elegant centerpiece for your home, you may prefer to grow your paperwhites in water using a shallow bowl filled with pebbles or crushed rock. 

1. Fill a 3-4 inch deep bowl or other shallow container without drainage holes with crushed rock, pebbles, or other loose, decorative stones. 
2. Pack your paperwhite bulbs into the container and push them down into the stones so the tips stay upright. 
3. Add water until it just reaches the bottom of the bulbs.

How to Water Paperwhites

Paperwhites are pretty sensitive to water, and overwatering can result in bulb rot, and ultimately losing your plant. If your paperwhites are growing in soil, check regularly and water when the top 1 or 2 inches of soil is dry. If you're growing paperwhites in water, only keep enough water in the bowl or container to cover the roots while barely touching the bulb itself. 

After planting, keep the bulbs in a cool—about 65 °F—and dark room for several weeks until the roots take hold and shoots start to sprout from the bulbs. Then place the containers in a cool, sunny location. In 4-6 weeks, you'll see tiny blossoms on the flower stems. Paperwhites have a significant advantage over other commonly forced bulbs, like tulips and hyacinths, in that they do not need an 8- to 12-week cold-temperature treatment. ("Force" means to coax a plant to bloom out of season.) Because it's so fast and easy, forcing paperwhites is an excellent project for beginning gardeners. 

Another tip: your blooms will last longer if the plant stays in a cooler location. Move your paperwhites to bright, indirect light once stems and leaves appear, but make sure the temperature stays on the cool side.

Tips for Caring for Paperwhites Indoors 

Watering with Alcohol: To prevent your paperwhites from getting tall and floppy, give them a good, stiff drink. Paperwhite bulbs grown in water with a 5% concentration of alcohol bloom beautifully on stems ⅓ shorter than paperwhites grown in unspiked water. Most clear liquors are about 40% alcohol (80 proof), so that works out to 1 part liquor to 7 parts water. This works best for paperwhites growing on pebbles, not soil. Wait until your plant grows stems and leaves before giving it shots.

Staking: Another option to keep your paperwhite stalks growing upright is use a stake and some twine. Set the stake in the soil or pebbles, and use twine to gently tie the stalks to the stake. If you have enough plants growing in the same pot, you can skip the stake and just wrap twine or a decorative ribbon around all the stalks.

Feeding: Everything your paperwhite needs is in the bulb, so these plants don't need fertilizer. If you choose to reflower your bulbs or plant outdoors (see below), once your bulbs are done blooming, use Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food per label directions to give your plant an extra boost of nutrition.

Reflowering: Once paperwhites are done, it's hard to get them to flower again. You also won't see blooms every year, and most bulbs only last three or four years at most. If you want to give reflowering a try, once the blooms are spent, cut back the flower stalks and leave the foliage. Continue caring for your paperwhite, keeping it in bright, indirect light and watering as needed. Once the foliage dies back, unpot your bulbs and allow them to dry for a few days. Once they are dry, place the bulbs in a paper bag. Store the bulbs in a cool, dry location until winter when it's time to replant, using either the soil or water instructions above.

Unlike their daffodil relatives, paperwhites won't tolerate freezing temperatures, but they can be planted outdoors where winters are mild (hardiness zones 8-11). Plant them in the fall as you would other spring-flowering bulbs. They look especially attractive in groups planted in containers or the garden. When planting in containers, use Miracle-Gro® Potting Mix. Use Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Flowers when planting in-ground.

Paperwhites are an elegant plant, no matter how or where you plant them! They may require a slightly different care regimen than your other houseplants, but you'll be rewarded with beautiful blooms that keep your space light and airy during the colder months.