How to Grow White Narcissus

Growing in a Vase

• 1

  Expose your narcissus bulbs to fresh air for several hours after you purchase them. Alternately, store them in a dark place at room temperature for as long as six weeks if you don’t want to plant them immediately.

• 2

  Place about 2 inches of pebbles in a vase.

• 3

  Set narcissus bulbs on top of the pebbles. Set them close to each other, checking to make sure the roots are facing downward. Add more pebbles around the bulbs securing them, but leave the tips exposed.

• 4

  Pour water into the vase until it is just below the bottom of the bulbs. Keep the vase in an area where the temperature is no higher than 60 degrees Fahrenheit and where it receives no direct sunlight.

• 5

  Add water when the level drops, keeping it just below the bulb’s base of the bulbs. Expect your narcissus to bloom within about six weeks.

Growing in a Container

• 6

  Combine potting soil with one-fourth part perlite. Then put about 1 to 2 inches of this mix in a container with a drainage hole and add one-half teaspoon of low-nitrogen fertilizer, such as 0-10-10. Add more potting mixture, allowing space for the large bulbs to be completely covered.

• 7

  Plant one or more narcissus bulbs in each pot and then cover them with your potting mix.

• 8

  Water your potted narcissus and keep the soil moist but not soggy. Give it partial shade or filtered sunlight. Keep it either indoors or outside.

• 9

  Snip off dead flowers and leaves when the foliage turns yellow. Leave the bulbs in the pot or remove and store them in a cool, dark place until the following fall or winter, when you can plant them again.