living in the woods and making stuff

Every year we get a shipment of paperwhites at the store. I always like to start a batch to have around Christmas or for January, when everything green is hidden deep down in the earth. This year, with all the firewood collecting, I kept coming across little stumps of firewood that were hollow. As I was potting some amaryllis bulbs in my basement, I noticed a hollow stump in my firewood pile that looked like it would fit a paper white bulb nicely.

Supplies for potting paperwhites in stumps

Paperwhite bulbs (if you live in Fairfield we have tons at the store!)

Potting soil

Rocks

Hollow stumps of varying sizes

Draining trays

Place some rocks at the bottom of the pot or stump. This helps with drainage. (You can actually plant paperwhites in a bowl with just rocks or pebbles too!)

Fill stump the rest of the way full with soil, and then the bulb. Make sure to press the soil down firmly around the bulb so that the bulb doesn’t shift as it grows. Water and watch it grow!!!

The bulbs can be replanted outside in the summer. I don’t see why you couldn’t plant them directly into the ground right in the stump.

p.s. don’t lift the stump out of the draining tray unless you want the rocks to tumble out!