The opportunity of having a whole glorious season of flowering daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths indoors during winter is a reality.  A bright floral display and fragrant aroma is always welcome when snow is on the ground and bundling up to keep warm outside is a must.  Little (minor) bulbs, such as snowdrops, scilla, muscari, chionodoxa, and crocus force equally well as the large (major) bulbs, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinth.  Both the major and minor bulbs are handled in the same way, although the forcing period may vary slightly.  Some cultivars (early cultivars and those that do not grow too tall) are better suited for forcing than others.  Catalogs will usually identify forcing varieties.  

The term forcing refers to inducing a plant to produce its shoot, leaf, and flower ahead of its natural schedule and out of its natural environment.  To force hardy bulbs you need to mimic and compress the process the plant would undergo outdoors in the garden.  The type of pot (plastic versus clay) is a personal  preference.  Plastic pots do not dry out as rapidly as clay, are easier to clean and lighter in weight, as well as less expensive.  Clay pots have aesthetic qualities in and of themselves and don’t necessarily need a basket or covering to be attractive.  Bulbs will grow equally well in either.  The pots should be scrubbed clean before use and clay pots soaked for several hours to saturate pores. 

When buying bulbs for forcing, always choose first-rate, top-size varieties.  Mail-order bulbs by August or earlier to ensure adequate time to receive the bulbs by the first part of October.  If you buy from the local garden center, scrutinize them the way you would produce at the grocery store; don’t buy bulbs that are soft or sprouting.  High-quality bulbs are necessary because the bulb contains the food required to produce a flowering plant. 

Since bulbs need moisture and perfect drainage, a mixture of equal parts peat moss, potting soil, sand and vermiculite or perlite is best.  Mix thoroughly and moisten with enough water to a damp consistency.  If you anticipate planting bulbs outdoors after forcing, add 1 teaspoon of 5–10–5 dry fertilizer to every quart of soil mix to give the bulbs an extra boost after flowering.  Hyacinths, crocus, and narcissi can be grown in pebbles and water—with no additional nutrients, however, they are usually completely exhausted and should be disposed of after blooming.

Plant bulbs with the pointed ends up, as close together as possible, without letting them touch.  Tulip and other bulbs with a flat side should be planted with the flat side facing the edge of the container.  This will allow the first leaves to form a border around the edge of the pot.  

Add enough soil mix to fill the pot, and water the bulbs thoroughly from the top or immerse in a tub of water - this will settle the soil around the bulbs.  Label each pot with the name of the cultivar, date of planting and date to bring out of cold storage.

Feed weekly with a half-strength solution of houseplant fertilizer.  Turning the pots every day or so keeps the flower stems straight and strong. In a week or two, the stems will elongate and the buds will become plump.  When the foliage and buds are well developed, move the pots to a bright, sunny window in the house, where temperatures are near 65°F.  Once the flowers begin to open, take the plants out of direct sunlight to prolong the bloom. 

You will be pleased at how quickly the bloom unfolds compared to weeks, or possibly months, before they would outside.  Hyacinths will bloom for nearly two wonderfully fragrant weeks if the room is between 65° to 68°F.  Iris reticulate and crocus may fail to bloom or last only a day if temperatures get over 65°F.

After flowering, cut the flower stems and place the pots in direct sunlight, keeping the foliage growing until it begins to die back.  As it withers, don’t pull the leaves off, store the bulbs in the pots in a cool, dry place until late summer or early fall, at which time they can be planted into the garden.  Attempts to force the same bulbs indoors will be unsuccessful, as forcing weakens the bulb and the bloom will be small and unsatisfactory the following year.  Once the bulbs are back in the garden setting, they will return to a natural schedule, and in several years will again produce a wonderful show of flowers.  

Some suggested varieties for forcing are:

Tulips

• Apricot Beauty, Bing Crosby, Edith Eddy, Mirjorma, Yokohama, Jingle Bells, Attila, White Dream, Princess Victoria, White Swallow, Estella Rijnveld

Crocus

• Pickwick, Rembrance, Flower Record, Peter Pan, Purpurea Grandiflora 

Hyacinths

• Amethyst, Blue Jacket, Jan Bros, L’Innocence, Pink Pearl, Delft Blue, Hollyhock, Anna Marie, Violet Pearl, Gypsy Queen, Carnegie

Muscari

• Blue Spike, Early Giant 

Daffodils and Narcissi

• Barrett Browning, Bridal Crown, Dutch Master, Ice Follies, Paperwhites, Golden Harvest, Spell Binder, Salome, Pink Charm, Flower Record, Louis Armstrong, Unsurpassable, Tete-a-Tete, Jenny, Barrett Browning, Cheerfulness

Others

• Snowdrops, Dutch Irises, Blue Squill, and Glory-of-the-snow