October 2023 Newsletter

Paperwhites are among our favorite holiday blooming plants. There is nothing quite so addicting as having plants blooming in your home during the winter and nothing is easier to bring into bloom than paperwhite narcissus. Paperwhites belong to the tazetta division of daffodils and are hardy in Zones 9 and 10. In fact, in those warm climates, these are the only daffodils they can grow successfully.

Paperwhites and amaryllis can both be easily forced into bloom without any cold treatment, but unlike amaryllis, paperwhites cannot be saved to bloom again.

There are several types of paperwhites on the market. Klein’s carries the following varieties which usually arrive in early Ocober:

Inbal is an all white type of paperwhite, similar to Ziva, except with a very delicate and pleasant fragrance and a flatter cup.

Planting paperwhites in soil is a little more work but results in a stronger root system. The disadvantage to using soil is that you need a container with drainage, and that would require a saucer indoors.

To plant the bulbs, place an inch or two of a quality potting soil on the bottom of the container. Space out the bulbs and press them lightly into the soil. Add enough soil to come up to the tip of the bulbs and firm. Paper whites planted in soil can be top-dressed with decorative gravel or moss. After potting, thoroughly moisten the soil.

An alternative to soil is to plant paperwhites in gravel (or sand) and water. Choose a container that you are sure is watertight. You will need gravel with small pieces that can easily settle into all the nooks and crannies between the bulbs. Klein’s offers small packages of horticultural stone for this purpose. If you have stone from another source, be sure to rinse it thoroughly before using it with your bulbs.

Watering Paperwhites
If you have potted your bulbs in soil, simply keep them evenly moist. If you are growing your paperwhites in gravel, keep the water level just below the bottom of the bulbs. When the water is so deep that the basal plate at the bottom of the bulb stays wet, it may rot.

Growing Paperwhites
Paperwhite narcissus like good daylight, but don’t want to be in direct sunlight. Temperatures of 60-65 degrees are ideal, but usually our homes are much warmer. If possible, place the growing bulbs in a cool room at night. It takes an average of 3-4 weeks for paperwhites to bloom. When grown warm, the bulbs tend to be taller and weaker, sometimes leaning over. Continue to provide water as needed until the bulbs have finished blooming. Paper white bulbs cannot be saved for another season of bloom, so you can dispose of them once they are not longer blooming or attractive.

Special Tips to Succeed with Paperwhites
Add a handful of activated charcoal to the bottom of the container before planting to keep your water or soil fresh. This is especially helpful with bulbs grown in water and stones.

Water your paperwhites with a solution of a capful of rubbing alcohol to a quart of water. This acts as a growth regulator and keeps them a little shorter (see below).

For stronger plants, place your newly planted paperwhites somewhere cool and dark for a week immediately after planting to give them a little extra rooting time before growing. If you have extra space in a refrigerator, this works perfectly.

Keep a few extra bulbs in a cool, dark place and you’ll be able to plant them every few weeks to have blooms all winter long.

Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses delivers daily, except Sundays, throughout all of Madison and much of Dane County including: Cottage Grove, Deerfield, DeForest, Fitchburg, Maple Bluff, Marshall, McFarland, Middleton, Monona, Oregon, Shorewood Hills, Sun Prairie, Verona, Waunakee and Windsor. We do not deliver to Cambridge, Columbus or Stoughton.

Current delivery rate on 1-4 items is $7.95 for Madison, Maple Bluff, Monona and Shorewood Hills; $8.95 for Cottage Grove, DeForest, Fitchburg, McFarland, Sun Prairie, Waunakee and Windsor; and $9.95 for Marshall, Middleton, Oregon and Verona. An additional $3.00 will be added for deliveries of 4-10 items and $5.00 added for deliveries of more than 10 items. For deliveries requiring more than one trip, a separate delivery charge will be added for each trip.

A minimum order of $25.00 is required for delivery.

We not only deliver our fabulous fresh flowers, but also houseplants, bedding plants and hardgoods. There may be an extra charge for very large or bulky items.

Delivery to the Madison hospitals is $5.95. Deliveries to the four Madison hospitals are made during the early afternoon. Items are delivered to the hospital’s volunteer rooms and not directly to the patients’ rooms per hospital rules.

There is no delivery charge for funerals in the city of Madison or Monona, although normal rates apply for morning funeral deliveries to Madison’s west side (west of Park St.). Our normal rates also apply for funeral deliveries in the surrounding communities at all times. Although we don’t deliver on Sundays, we will deliver funeral items on Sundays at the regular delivery rate.

Morning delivery is guaranteed to the following Madison zip codes, but only if requested: 53703, 53704, 53714, 53716, 53718 and Cottage Grove, Deerfield, DeForest, Maple Bluff, Marshall, McFarland, Monona, Sun Prairie, Waunakee and Windsor.

We begin our delivery day at 8:00 a.m. and end at approximately 3:00 p.m. We do not usually deliver after 4:00 unless specific exceptions are made with our drivers.

Except for holidays, the following west-side zip codes and communities are delivered only during the afternoon: 53705, 53706, 53711, 53713, 53717, 53719, 53726, Fitchburg, Middleton, Oregon, Shorewood Hills and Verona.

During holidays (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc.) we are able to make morning deliveries to all of the above areas. We are not able to take closely timed deliveries on any holiday due to the sheer volume of such requests.

It’s best to give us a range of time and we’ll try our absolute hardest. Orders for same day delivery must be placed by 12:30 p.m. or by 2:30 p.m. for Madison zip codes 53704 and 53714.