If the bleak post-holiday grayness has you longing for a bit of green, it’s easy to get a jump-start on Spring. Try “forcing” some bulbs indoors.

Almost any bulb can be forced to bloom given the proper conditions, but for beginners the easiest to use is the Paper White Narcissus. These bulbs are available at nurseries, hardware and home repair stores, and even many grocery stores at this time of the year. Buy several for each pot you plan to fill – 5-7 of them make a nice display in an average-sized flower pot.

Find the dish, bowl or pot you wish to use – the vessel should NOT have drainage holes. Fill it to within an inch of the top (at least two inches deep) with pea gravel. Fill with water to just below the top of the pebbles. Set the bulbs on top of the gravel (pointy side up!) and “nestle” them in about a third of the way.

Keep them out of direct sunlight until they’re rooted and the first shoots appear, and then move them gradually into the sun and the warmer temperatures. Make sure you keep the water level steady, and that’s it! Your mini-garden will bloom in about a month.

For a steady supply of flowers, start more pots at two-week intervals. Happy gardening!