Grow bulbs indoors with several methods

There are two ways of growing paperwhite narcissus bulbs indoors: in a growing medium such as soilless potting mix or in a shallow dish filled with pebbles.

To grow them in a pot with potting mix, you will need a container with a drainage hole in the bottom to avoid soggy soil that will cause bulbs to rot.

Spread a layer of growing medium in the pot. Leave enough space at the top to allow you to arrange the bulbs, pointed end up, on top of the mix, with their tips about level with the rim of the pot. Space them closely so they are almost touching. Finish filling the pot with medium, leaving the tips of the bulbs exposed. The top of the potting mix should be one-half to 1 inch below the rim of the pot so you can water without the container overflowing.

Check the bulbs frequently and water thoroughly when you can feel that the potting mix is dry 1 inch below the surface. Do not water more than once a week until the bulbs begin actively growing.

To grow narcissus bulbs in pebbles or gravel, choose a shallow dish that has no hole. Spread a layer of pebbles on the bottom. Arrange the bulbs on the pebbles close together and cover them with more pebbles, leaving the tops of the bulbs exposed. The weight of the stones will help to keep them from falling to the side as they grow.

Water just enough so that water fills the spaces among the lowest layer of pebbles and touches the bottoms of the bulbs, but not so much that it surrounds the bulbs themselves. Letting the bulbs sit in standing water can lead to rot.

As the bulbs' roots grow, it is important to maintain the water level so only the roots are wet, topping off the water level daily if necessary. Discard the bulbs after flowering, but rinse the pebbles and keep them for future forced bulbs.

Paperwhite narcissus often will require support, such as a cage or ring of raffia tied around their stalks, to keep them from flopping as they grow. Try to grow them in a cool room to reduce the foliage stretch and prolong life of the flowers.

Outdoors

It is important to continue monitoring your garden for animal damage throughout the winter and install or adjust barriers as needed.

Gnawed bark at the base of trees and shrubs is likely to have been caused by rabbits, which can cause considerable damage over the course of winter. As snow piles up, they can reach higher and higher to eat the bark of shrubs. Chicken wire will work well to exclude them.

You also will need physical barriers such as fences, wire or netting to protect plants from deer. Hanging soap or hair in branches generally will not deter deer from browsing. Yews and arborvitae are deer favorites and are likely to be browsed in areas where deer are active.

If you wish to try animal repellents, they must be applied when temperatures are above 40 degrees. Rain will wash off the repellents over time, so one application made in fall may not provide protection for the entire winter.

Consider reusing your natural Christmas decorations as mulch for garden and perennial beds. Detach the branches from the wire supports of swags, wreaths, and other evergreen material and cut long branches into 2- to 3-foot sections. Remove all tinsel and other decorations. Lay the branches over the beds.

Lightweight, open evergreen boughs make good mulch because they permit moisture to reach the soil but also help insulate the roots and crowns of plants from the freeze-thaw-freeze cycle of Midwest winters. The greens can also be arranged in containers for winter interest.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.