My paperwhites have started opening up, and the smell is heavenly! Combined with the baking I've been doing, I could happily just sit in my kitchen all day and sniff.
As you will recall, this year I'm experimenting with my paperwhites pursuant to a study done at Cornell University. I've been watering my paperwhites with a solution that's about 5% alcohol in order to stunt their growth and keep them from being tall and floppy.
For the most part, the experiment has been very successful, but I've noticed something peculiar. All the bulbs I planted in deep containers (e.g. jam jars, vases) are perfectly about half as tall as they should be. But the five bulbs I planted in this shallow bowl are just as tall as they were last year. I can't think of why the depth of the container would make a difference, but that's the only variable I can see.
I'm tempted to write Cornell and see if they can tell me what's up....
