Have a right-bulb moment this winter

“Forced bulbs get me through the winter,” says Sean A Pritchard. The garden and landscape designer has a passion for cultivating flowers destined to be displayed indoors, as expressed in his book Outside In. Come winter, Pritchard’s 17th-century cottage in the Mendip Hills is teeming with a fragrant array of potted hyacinth, narcissus and amaryllis, jauntily topping tables and brightening piles of books.

For Pritchard, the idea of going through an entire season without any floral displays is incomprehensible: “Having these forced bulbs flowering through the darkest months of the year is so uplifting and joyful.” He starts planting them in late September and October, cleverly planning ahead throughout winter to create a staggered succession of flowering. (Note to the time-poor: you can always play catch-up with pre-treated bulbs.)

Anna Pavord, the author of the seminal book Bulb, suggests that the practice of forcing bulbs began in Europe in the 17th century. It was the appropriately named English botanist Nehemiah Grew who discovered in 1682 that “by keeping the Plants warm” you can encourage “the young lurking Flowers to come abroad”. The bulbs in question were hyacinths, and his observation sparked an obsession that peaked in the 18th century thanks in large part to Madame de Pompadour, who filled the interior of the Palace of Versailles with glass vases containing hundreds of their headily scented blooms.

“You’re essentially tricking these bulbs into flowering,” says Pritchard. “So the key is that you have a handle on what exactly it is that each one needs.” Hyacinths, for instance, have to be chilled (at 7-9°C) in a darkened corner before being brought into a warm room (not too close to a direct heat source), while the more forgiving and perennially popular paperwhite narcissi don’t. “Once narcissi sense they’re being watered and there’s enough warmth, they’re away,” he says. 

The first thing is to find a beautiful vessel, then figure out what type of bulb it’s suited to

One of Pritchard’s favourites is the Iris reticulata. “For me, it’s the most elegant bulb you can force,” he says. “When they’re flowering, they look as though they’re pirouetting out of their pots.” Happily, they’re also super-easy: simply pot them up and you’re done. Pritchard tends to buy from Bloms Bulbs, Sarah Raven and Peter Nyssen (from £6 for 25), and likes weathered antique terracotta containers with a bit of patina or Rowen & Wren’s scalloped Eden version (from £24).

The principal goal for Pritchard is to home-grow everything on show, rather than relying on the immediacy of cut flowers flown halfway across the world. Forced bulbs have an enduring lifespan that can be extended still further by moving them to cooler spots, such as a windowsill, once they’re flowering. “Once they flower, don’t be afraid to cut the stems and use them in a vase too,” says Pritchard. 

Rowen & Wren terracotta Eden pot, from £24

Freya Bramble Carter x Studio Krokalia ceramic Melon Mary urn, £950, 8hollandstreet.com

When it comes to planting – which for most bulbs, tends to happen five to 12 weeks before they’ll flower – the garden designer Butter Wakefield opts for a maximalist, more-is-more mentality. “The bulbs should be jammed in but not touching one another. Just two or three in a pot can look a bit depressing – the more you plant, the better the display,” she says. Typically sticking to single varieties, Wakefield plants a plethora of paperwhite narcissi and tulips throughout the season. When pushed for time, she heads to New Covent Garden Market for pre-prepped hyacinths and paperwhites. 

“The first thing is to find a beautiful vessel, then figure out what type of bulb it’s best suited to,” says Wakefield, who uses everything from galvanised colanders (lined with plastic) to French confit containers and glazed or terracotta pots. 

Layering the multipurpose compost (or bulb fibre) with moss, Wakefield often also dresses her displays with a coronet of woven birch twigs or larch branches to support the stems, even adding fairy lights to brighten the bleakest January days. 

Forced bulbs are also a chance to support British flower farmers, from Raven to bulb specialists J Parker’s. Grower Charlie McCormick often simply sticks his beloved hycacinth bulbs into bowls of water. “They’re so easy to grow inside. Just keep them topped up so that three-quarters of the bulb is immersed and they’ll be happy,” says McCormick, who ties the stems with raffia to prop up his preferred “Delft Blue” and cheerful yellow flowers. (McCormick, who also adores a paperwhite, suggests looking to the Instagram account of The Land Gardeners for inspiration.)

“There’s something so life-affirming about the simplicity and inevitability of narcissi,” agrees garden writer Lucy Bellamy, author of A Year In Bloom: Flowering Bulbs for Every Season (Phaidon). “But you can technically force any true bulb, because at the time it’s dormant it already has a tiny shoot and leaves, just waiting for the right conditions to sprout.” Bellamy points to the optimism and high drama of the amaryllis – in particular, the Hippeastrum papilio, a scarlet striped variety with a petal formation reminiscent of an orchid. 

“The appeal of all these spring bulbs is that they give this opportunity to leapfrog winter,” says Bellamy. What could be more bright and beautiful than that?