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What’s New in Paper White Narcissus

© Mary Henry

My attention has been turned back to bulbs this week. I thought I had put that behind me until I succumbed to an online sale of paper whites. I even forgot that I ordered them until they arrived today. Paper whites and I have a troubled history. I think they are beautiful and love to see them blooming in winter, but I absolutely can't stand to be in a room with more than one at a time, especially a small room. It wasn't until just a couple of years ago that I found out that there were other varieties of paper white and that some of them didn't have such a heavy musky scent.

Paper whites are members of the Tazetta division of the genus Narcissus. They are hardy only in zones 8 to 11. Because they do not experience frost, they can be successfully grown indoors without the long, cold rooting period necessary for the hardy bulbs. It should be considered a great bonus that they are fragrant too. However, their musky fragrance is one that I, and many other people, usually find overpowering. The other two tazetta varieties most often encountered are "Grand Soliel d'Or" with yellow petals and cup and the "Chinese Sacred Lily" (neither Chinese nor a lily) with white petals and yellow cup. Both of these have a less musky and more fruity fragrance, but they don't bloom as profusely as the ordinary paper white. I discovered that the variety that I find nearly everywhere is called "Ziva". It was developed in Israel (where production of paper white bulbs for export is a big business) and is popular because it is easy to grow and flowers quickly and prolifically. I guess the reason you never see many others is because the differences between them are subtle. In one of my favorite bulb catalogs there are eight different varieties offered. Most will bloom in 3 to 4 weeks, while "Ziva" will flower in 2 to 3 weeks. In the variety descriptions the scents are described as "delicate, moderate or strong musky" fragrances. I go for delicate to moderate in that category.

Another thing about forcing paper whites is the tendency of the leaves to flop. I learned a long time ago that using a bit of rubbing alcohol in the water for the bulbs acted to keep the foliage more compact and therefore less floppy. It only takes a tablespoon in a gallon of water. I keep the mix made up in a gallon jug and just use it every time I water the bulbs. It was a great find to see that my delicately and moderately musky varieties were also several inches shorter when flowering than Ziva's sixteen to eighteen inches. A good root system and lots of light will keep them upright without the help of the alcohol.

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