The Magic of Bulbs: Paperwhites
Paperwhites are one of the great joys of the winter garden — forcing them into bloom for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's is a tradition worth starting. Here's everything you need to know.
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Spring is here — and the jonquils are blooming
Welcome to the world's finest resource on flower bulbs — cultivation wisdom, rare finds, and the pure joy of watching something buried in earth become breathtaking.
For decades, I have scoured gardens, roadsides, old homesteads, and forgotten cemeteries in search of rare and heirloom flower bulbs — plants that have survived generations because someone, somewhere, loved them enough to pass them on.
From the fiery surprise of Spider Lilies appearing from bare earth each fall, to the nodding white bells of Snowflakes in late winter, the storm-triggered magic of Rain Lilies, and the intoxicating fragrance of Paperwhites at Christmas — every bulb has a story worth telling.
This journal is where I share everything I know: how to grow them, where to find them, which ones will stop a passing stranger in their tracks. And every week, the most extraordinary of these become available through my newsletter — directly from Southern Bulbs.
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Paperwhites are one of the great joys of the winter garden — forcing them into bloom for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's is a tradition worth starting. Here's everything you need to know.
Read the full post →What to feed your bulbs, when to feed them, and what to avoid.
Read more →Tracing the origins of one of the South's most beloved amaryllis varieties.
Read more →Growing bulbs in Florida's heat takes the right varieties — here's what actually works.
Read more →From 2010 to today — the complete Bulb Hunter archive, sorted by year.
Open the Journal →
The most comprehensive flower bulb reference you'll find anywhere. Every genus, every species, every growing quirk — documented from decades of hands-on experience and relentless curiosity. Each entry links to bulbs available at Southern Bulbs.
Every bulb I write about is grown and sold through Southern Bulbs — my family nursery offering rare, heirloom, and hard-to-find varieties shipped directly to your door.
Shop Southern Bulbs →Two landmark books on heirloom and southern bulb gardening — essential for any serious bulb enthusiast.
From intimate garden societies to major botanical conferences, I give talks that blend rare horticultural knowledge with the joy and adventure of the hunt. Audiences leave inspired — and usually in need of more bulbs.
"An electrifying speaker. The audience was completely captivated — we had 40-year garden club members saying it was the best talk they'd ever attended."
"He makes you feel like you're out there on the hunt with him. Funny, passionate, impossibly knowledgeable."
✦ Artwork by
Anna Bertino
Southern Bulb Co.