Flowers Already!?

Nine days ago I did something I have been meaning to do for weeks.  I planted my paperwhites.  I have had these paperwhites since Novemeber, and I finally got them in some water.  Boy, they must have needed it because I already have flowers!!!  I'm so excited.
I have to show off my beautiful flowers, and they smell amazing too.  I just love that with about fifteen minutes of my free time I made flowers bloom in my house.

Here is a little photo tutorial of my work.

Supplies

Stones in the bucket (I found out this bucket leaks so had to move them, but you get the idea).

Add bulbs

Add more stones (you need a lot of stones).

Place bulbs in a sunny window.  Don't forget to water them.

Paperwhites are the easiest bulbs to force.  Basically, you just put them in water with some rocks and they will bloom. Give them a little sunlight and keep their roots wet and you are guaranteed to have flowers in the middle of winter.

One year I made paperwhites for Christmas presents (so easy to do and so nice) and even my mother-in-law, who has a black thumb, got flowers.  She was impressed. (That reminds me I need to do that again.)

I also planted a amaryllis which is growing big leaves....

...but where is the flower?

I guess my bulbs will be staggering their blooms.  All the better, because then I might have flowers until spring (wouldn't that be nice).  I am also waiting on my tulips, which if you remember, I planted here.  They are  in the basement refrigerator until they have been kept cold long enough (March 9th).  

I just love flowers and I think the flower faeries have smiled on me because I really do have flowers all over my house.  Here is a small sampling.   

Tulips for my birthday!

A small orchid for valentines day.

Another shot of the same tulips (with a paperwhite in the foreground)

I am so grateful to have all these flowers and this sunny home to keep them.  I'm a lucky girl to have flowers already!