Let's grow an indoor bulb garden!

Here in Arizona we can pretty much garden outside all winter long, but for many of you who are not in this region indoor gardening fun is your only option at this time of year. A fun project for you and your child is a quick and easy indoor bulb garden. These bulbs that I am going to talk about will grow perfectly well indoors with only water as the growing medium.

Here's a list of what you will need:

• a shallow bowl (I prefer clear glass in order to see the roots grow)


• clean decorative marbles or stones that are about 1/2 inch diameter


• clean, fresh water


• bulbs

Not just any bulbs grow most easily, however. The best bulbs to start out with on a project like this, especially for kids, are Amaryllis or Narcissus. You can see photos of each here.

Red Amaryllis

White Narcissus "paper whites"













Let's get started!

1. Fill the bowl or dish 1/4 full with the decorative stones or marbles that you've chosen.
2. Set the single Amaryllis bulb or the multiple Narcissus bulbs on top of the stones.
3. Throw in the rest of your stones leaving about 1/2 of the top of the bulb showing.
4. Pour in enough clean, fresh water to cover the tops of the stones.
5. Place the container in a bright area of your house so that the plant doesn't get too leggy.
6. Keep watch that the water is topped off every few days or so.

It's as simple as that! You should see flower tops blooming in about 6 weeks.

I hope you enjoy this fun indoor gardening activity that can be done throughout the winter. Your child will enjoy taking care of topping off the water and helping bring the beautiful flowers of these easy to grow bulbs to life.

Please send in any comments or photos of your completed projects and I'll include them on the blog.

I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season, and all of us at Gooseberry Gardens wish you the best in the new year!

Happy Gardening!
Elizabeth