Paperwhites and amaryllis bulbs are two terrific bulbs to force indoors with very little effort and very low maintenance.  I have forced both indoors for over 11 years with a 0% failure rate.

I have bought these bulbs everywhere from White Flower Farm and Johannsen’s to Sam’s Club, Home Dept and Target.  They are usually all great, but for a unique amaryllis, higher-end stores have a wider variety.

For paperwhites (part of the narcissus family, like daffodils), you simply plant the bulbs in potting soil, rocks or even cranberries in the container of your choice and water well, making sure not to let them dry out.  Within 2 to 3 weeks, you will have beautiful flowers.  Simply discard the bulbs after they are done flowering, as the paperwhite bulb is a one-shot deal.

For the amaryllis bulb, plant in a pot, not burying the entire bulb; the tip-top of the bulb likes a little light.  I have had mixed results with how long it will take to grow and bloom, but often you get more than one cycle of flowers on one bulb.  When the amaryllis is done blooming, trim off the blooms and treat as a houseplant.  You can get the amaryllis bulb to re-bloom again next year by treating it like your other houseplants until August/September and then placing it in a closet or basement and allowing it to rest until Thanksgiving. Then bring it back out and expose it to warmth, water and sunlight, and it should bloom again.

It is nice to plant these bulbs every two to three weeks starting in October to have constant blooms throughout the winter months.