Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Growing forced bulbs to get extra long leggy nest weaving material for a Spring flower frog
- 4 March 2026
Paperwhites (Narcissus tazetta) become excessively long, or "leggy," when forced indoors. Mostly because the bulbs are stretching to find more light in the warm indoor space. But for floral designs these extra long growth can become rather attractive Spring “nesting” design material!
First we enjoy the flowers... and then we enjoy designing with the bulbs. To force the paperwhites, place a layer of pebbles in a display container...
Pour water over the pebbles.
Design note: I want the paperwhites to get leggy so that I can weave with them so I do not add any additive (such as alcohol or flower food) to the water. If you are concerned about the water you can add a small piece of activated charcoal to the water to help keep it fresh and reduce bacteria.
Set the paperwhite bulbs on the pebbles so that they can start to root and sprout.
Because we will display the roots make sure to choose firm, heavy, and healthy bulbs. Discard any that are soft, moldy, or damaged, as these will lead to poor root health.
In about 4 -6 weeks the bulbs will root and sprout...
... and flower shortly after.
Make sure to protect the roots by cleaning the water every now and again to prevent it from browning.
Book readers turn to page 103 where we discuss the ideal water for floral designs.
For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
But what we are after is what happens after the bulbs bloom... Simply “tweaking” how you grow the paperwhites can ensure you get extra, extra long foliage to design with after you have enjoyed the flowers. We actually want to encourage the paperwhites to become leggy.
In nature, the bulbs would be firmly supported in soil but grown in water and pebbles indoors (it needs more light and and cooler temperatures to remain sturdy and short) allows the fast-growing, top-heavy paperwhites to fall over so that you can weave them into a wreath.
Remove the bulbs from the pebbles and rinse well in cool clean water to make sure the water remains clear. Choose the healthiest bulbs for the design. Clean, healthy roots are white and firm.
Remove any loose, papery skins from the bulbs before placing them in the forcing container to prevent them from rotting in the water. Allow them to dry for a day before arranging the leggy bulb shoots in your design. Place the bulb in a shallow display container.
Drape the foliage around the edge of the container.
Every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time), I send out a design note as an early glimpse at the newest Design and a few notes that I picked up creating the Tutorial that might be useful to you. This week, I show you how I added a bit of "lift" to get the bulbs to settle at an angle well above the water line.
If you’re new here, you can sign up below this post. And if you’ve been receiving these notes for some time, I hope they feel like a welcome break in your busy week.
Add in more bulbs to weave and drape around the container.
Gently weave the green shoots into a wreath nest around the display container edge.
Pull the longest leaf to rest over the container...
Thread through the next leaf to rest next to the first. Secure both with a small drop of floral glue.
Arrange the bulb roots to line the bottom of the display container and cover the roots with water. Water should only touch the roots, not the bulb itself.
If you want to make extra sure the roots remain healthy and white in the design (and prevent mold) mist them with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide in 1 cup of water.
Thread through the anthurium flowers to drape along with the bulb foliage.
Twist the flower heads so that they direct your eye around the design.
Add in dew drop crystals around the design. See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to add dew drop crystals into your design without damaging the delicate plant material.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter
Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.
