December Flowering Perennial Paperwhite

When we talk about winter gardens, Southerners must include Paperwhite Narcissus! Starting around Thanksgiving, reliable garden paperwhites add color and fragrance, and they come back every year for decades.

Some folks may dislike the smell of the super old-fashioned varieties, but we love the softer scent of one called Inbal. Luckily, this is a really strong grower too.

Plant them now, and in about Valentine’s Day, you’ll have flowers – but that is only the first year. Next year, you’ll enjoy December blooms.

After they flower, give them a nice general fertilizer and let the leaves wither naturally.

Of course, you can force them into pots, but Inbal doesn’t need to be inside, in a greenhouse, or in the fridge. Just pot it up and place it in the garden, then bring it in eight weeks later.

Inbal Paperwhite Narcissus is a true gem, often overlooked in our Southern winter gardens.