Did you know that giving paperwhite narcissi a little alcohol with their water will keep them from being leggy and requiring support? I've only just read about this but I thought I'd pass it on in case I'm not the only one to whom it is news.
The picture is from my archive as this year's plants are yet to flower, but according to Woottens of Wenhaston from whom I recently bought the variety Ziva for the house, they have strong stems which require no staking, so perhaps they can remain teetotal. I'm tempted to experiment, though, and give half the pots a tipple and half just Adam's ale and see what happens - has anyone tried it?
This fact (?) has been stashed away in my memory for years along with the information that doing this will also stunt the stems--making them easier to stand up by themselves. Please report back to us if you actually try it.
Posted by: Erika | 09 December 2014 at 08:37 PM
Interesting that a little tipple has the opposite effect on humans...will be interesting to see how your experiment turns out.
Posted by: Mary | 10 December 2014 at 11:24 AM
http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2007/11/paperwhites-update.html
I have always meant to try this! From her post it sounds like you could use any alcohol. She used gin!
Posted by: Kate/Massachusetts | 11 December 2014 at 01:57 PM
The experiment is underway so I'll let you know what happens, but the post Kate links to in her comment suggests the alcohol will work well.
Posted by: Cornflower | 19 December 2014 at 05:04 PM