Gardening expert Monty Don has recommended planting paperwhites this November to guarantee blooms on your windowsill by Christmas morning. In a blog post, the broadcaster outlined several gardening tasks for the month, but highlighted the white daffodils, officially called Narcissus papyraceus, as the key to festive flowers.
Why Paperwhites Flower Quickly
Unlike most daffodils, which need a cold snap to trigger blooming, paperwhites are native to the Mediterranean, a characteristic that allows them to bypass that stage. This makes them quick to flower, according to Monty.
To get them started, he advises to "plant the bulbs just beneath the surface of your compost in a container (ideally with drainage, but a normal bowl can be used if you add some charcoal to keep the soil sweet)."
Care Tips for Indoor Blooms
Once planted, Monty says to "keep them watered but not soggy and place in a warm, light place." This allows the bulbs to develop strongly. If planted indoors in the warmth, paperwhites should flower in around four weeks. To delay flowering, they can be kept cool but frost-free.
In the same blog post, Monty shared advice for other November tasks, calling the month the ideal time for one of his favourite jobs in the gardening calendar.
Planting Tulips and Lifting Dahlias
Planting tulips is, according to him, "the most important and best job of the month," though it can be done anytime before Christmas if needed. These flowers require good drainage, so mixing grit or sand into heavy soil is recommended.
For planting tulips, he advises using a crowbar to dig holes 12 inches deep or more, because "the deeper they are, the stronger and straighter the stem will be." In containers, the process is simpler as drainage is easier to manage and bulbs don't need to be planted as deep.
Finally, Monty suggests beginning to lift dahlias in November, as frost will rapidly turn their foliage to blackened mush. The tubers themselves remain undamaged provided the ground hasn't frozen.
