Several bulbs are suitable for planting in small pots before being kept in cool but sheltered conditions outside, such as next to a house wall or in an open porch, and then being brought indoors once the flower buds first show, to flower a week or two earlier than they would otherwise. Winter aconite, grape hyacinths, dwarf daffodils, dwarf tulips and hyacinths will all bring pleasure if they are treated in this way.

The large Dutch crocuses are excellent candidates for growing in this way. If the corms are to be planted in containers with no drainage holes, add a layer of grit to the base of each pot and use specially formulated indoor bulb fiber to fill the pot. For a maximum show, five crocus corms can be planted in a circle near the bottom of each pot, with another layer of five corms planted above them.

Make sure that the corms are not directly on top of each other. The pots should be kept in a light place, such as a potting shed or unheated greenhouse, in winter and watered occasionally to keep the compost soil mix just moist. When the shoots just begin to show color, they can be brought indoors. The display can then be appreciated at close range, with no danger of wind or rain spoiling the delicate petals.

Prepared hyacinths for midwinter flowering are available in a limited range of colors, but bedding hyacinths, which are grown in the garden or in outdoor pots, are available in an enormous number of delicate shades, including apricot as in gipsy queen, violet, lilac, mulberry and burgundy as in violet pearl, mulberry rose and Woodstock; blue and white as in blue jacket; deep blue as in blue magic and many others.