Tazettas must be chilled? Who knew?
As I’ve never bothered to read the “planting and care” section of the Old House Gardens website, they kindly quoted it to me when I emailed them about forcing their tazettas (recommended for zone 8 and higher gardens). I figured I could force them in a vase of pebbles as I do paperwhites, with no chilling period. Four to six weeks, and I’d have flowers.
Oops, guess not. I have purchased Early Pearl and Grand Primo, and it looks like they will need chilling and maybe also need to be planted in soil, not pebbles. And I’ll have to wait for the bulbs to read the full instructions. A new forcing adventure! I wanted to try these because I’m always looking for variety in paperwhites, having become bored with the common Ziva early on, What is the difference between tazattas and paperwhites? I thought there was none. Huh. I’ll have to make room for these among the 40 or so hyacinths I’ll be forcing this year.
Comments
I received prechilled paperwhites as a gift a few years ago, and after they bloomed planted them outside. They rebloomed in 2006 and 2007, but don't seem to increase.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I'd love to see them ... as well as the hyacinths when they are in bloom!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
I am putting a bunch in small pots, to give as gifts. Only 8 or so will be in vases. I may pot up 15 or so in larger pots to bring outside in the spring, as I do with tulips.
Sad truth--they tend to happier in dirt than water.
Scott Ogden mentions that paperwhites often need to be reset because they put their energies into offsetting rather than flowering when they are too shallow. I don't see where he mentions anything about a requirement for chilling. I may be reading carelessly.
Even in Texas, you would have lower night temps etc. I guess what I'm saying is a spare room in Buffalo isn't the same as a backyard in the south.
I dunno. I'll let you know what the label says when I get these. I'm psyched though.