Another fun way to play with bulbs is in the use of their containers. I'll stick flowers in just about anything that will hold water, and bulbs allow even more container flexiblilty. I like to start the forcing process in a generic plastic container, appropriate to the size of the bulbs. When they're ready to use, I can put them in whatever I like.
However, several New Years' years ago, I used an ice bucket filled with little clear plasitic beads to surround the feet of a flat container of white and red parrot tulips. Varigated ivy from the yard completed the centerpiece.The whole thing cost less than fifteen dollars. My notes---such as they are--- tell me I started to force the tulips the first week of November.
And a note about notes...what I actually HAVE are the old plastic containers, with masking tape stuck to the sides. I dated the pots by writing dates the tape. A scientific method? No, but it works. Re-using the containers is sanitary if you wash them out with a solution containing a little bleach to eliminate any latent viruses or bacteria.
Over the years, friends have given me several pieces of porcelain and those cute little glass jars which are intended for use in bulb forcing--and I do use them, but not nearly as often as the easy to clean (or toss out) plastic stuff.
There are sources which claim it is possible to re-use forced bulbs, but I've NEVER been able to make this happen. I treat tulips the same way, in my zone (7a/b), and compost them once they brown out.
As always, here are some more links for your persual. I love to sift through the stuff on the web, and pick out the gems...
For more on paperwhites--
http://www.growingcolors.com/guide_fall_...
Amaryllis information- http://www.ent.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/...
General forced potting-
http://www.mes.umn.edu/Documents/D/G/DG1...
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