Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Paper White Narcissi

Q. My indoor Paper White Narcissi are finished blooming. Do I dry them out until next fall?

A. Your job is but half over. Do not think that the bulbs are all set for dormancy and will then be fine when they come back next late fall for another push for indoor bloom.

You need to keep the bulbs growing. The more green foliage you can keep all summer long, the more flowers you will have later on. The bulbs have been depleted and need to be built back up, or they will be sub-par and may die off, and certainly may not bloom well.

If you have a yard, plant them into the soil or sink the pot and give them good light, water and fertilizer to keep them growing. It is the foliage that produces the food for the bulbs and therefore for production.

If you have no yard, place the pot outside on a patio or balcony and treat the same way. Remove the dead leaves. If green but droopy, wait and see if they recover. You may need to stake them upright.