Forcing Spring Bulbs: Top 10 Bulbs to Use

Learn how to brighten up your garden with vibrant colors in the spring by forcing spring bulbs indoors. Discover expert tips for successfully forcing bulbs and enjoy a beautiful burst of color before the outdoor season begins. Read on to learn more.

I, without a doubt, have spring fever.

Really bad.

I might even go out on a limb and say that it’s been really, really, realllyyyyyy bad for a while now.

In fact, I would venture to say that I had spring fever beginning in … oh, I don’t know. Say, mid-January?

{Paper Whites}

I know, I know. You’re probably thinking to yourself that it’s absolutely impossible for me to be sick of winter already, and how in the world can I be sick of it when I’m living in North Carolina and we barely have a winter as it is?

Am I right? Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.

It’s ok. Everyone that meets me and finds out that I was born and raised in Indiana wonders how I survived 20 years of my life in that freezing tundra.

Firstly, I:

Wore about a hundred pairs of socks because my feet felt like they were always frostbitten.
Rarely showered because (duh) I would get cold. P.S. I know that I wasn’t alone on this one!
Drank a lot of hot cocoa (ok, ok, this is actually a lie, but it sounds amazing!)
Slept with 10 blankets on my bed (not joking) you can ask my mother if you don’t believe me.
Had a permanent seat in front of the wood-burning stove. I’m sure my dad could even show you the exact spot where I wore out the carpet 😉

Forcing Spring Bulbs: Top 10 Bulbs to Use

For me, the best way to get over the winter blues is to add greenery around my house! In fact, I wrote a whole blog post just on how energizing it is to add plant life into your decor.

Last year if you remember I tried my hand at forcing gladiolus bulbs for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with the results!

However, I never did get those babies to bloom. I do believe that I waited too long to get them into the ground. Basically, this year I wanted to check out (from the experts!) what I need to do. So, check out these top 10 bulbs that you should use and some fun info to go along with them!

This post does include some affiliate links, but they are for your convenience. I promise! Please click here to read my full disclosure policy.

In other words, with all that being said, there are flower bulbs that work better than others, and here are the top 10 that I would try forcing first.

Forcing Spring Bulbs: Top 10 Bulbs to Use

Tulips: 12-16 weeks chilling/2-3 weeks to bloom after being chilled (I highly recommend purchasing these Pre-chille d Pink Tulips if you’re having a hard time finding tulip bulbs in your area. Mine started growing in just a few days!)
Daffodils: 15-17 weeks chilling/2-3 weeks to bloom after being chilled
Crocus: 15 weeks chilling/2-3 weeks to bloom after being chilled
Grape Hyacinth (Muscari): 13-15 weeks chilling/2-3 weeks to bloom after being chilled
Iris: 12+ weeks chilling/2-3 weeks to bloom after being chilled
Snowdrop: 12-15 weeks chilling/2-3 weeks to bloom after being chilled
Hyacinth: 12-15 weeks chilling/2-3 weeks to bloom after being chilled
Amaryllis: no chill bulbs/blooms can vary (read the label!)
Paperwhites: no chill bulbs/3-5 weeks to bloom
Purple Shamrock: no chill bulbs/8 weeks to bloom

If you loved these ideas then you’ll definitely want to browse some of my other Gardening projects that are full of step-by-step tutorials as well as freebies galore! Can’t wait to see you again and happy planting!