The second week of November is a good time to try forcing bulbs indoors to enjoy as fresh blooms during the Christmas season.

Forcing bulbs means to place a flower bulb such as hyacinth of Narcissus tazetta in a vase or bowl of water. Then you trick or force it to bloom before spring.

Florists and garden centers sell special glass vases designed to hold a single bulb or you can fill a bowl with gravel and water and add several bulbs. The goal is to keep the bottom half of the bulb in water so roots will form, but the top half of the bulb above the water line as this where the flower will emerge.

Once you settle the bulb into a forcing vase or bowl, store it indoors in a cool dark place until you see the top of the bulb sprouting leaves. It can take a few months. Sprouting foliage is your signal to bring the bulbs into a bright room and watch the flowers emerge.

Some bulbs such as crocus, hyacinth and special daffodils are easy to force. Other bulbs such as tulips and lilies are difficult to force into flower without a controlled greenhouse environment.

Q. What blooming houseplants do you recommend for winter color in an apartment? I have a bright window in my kitchen and would like something easy to care for with long lasting color. F.G.,Sumner

A. One of the longest blooming houseplants is kalanchoe. This is a type of sedum with scalloped leaves and clusters of red, orange or yellow blooms on top of short stems. You can often find blooming kalanchoe at the grocery store wrapped up as gift plants or in the houseplant section of big box stores. The key to happiness for this winter bloomer is not to overwater. Let the soil dry completely before you even think about watering. Do not let this succulent sit in drainage water. It will love life near a bright window and can even be moved outdoors for the summer once all danger of frost has passed.

Q. I have an outdoor lemon cypress tree in a large pot surrounded by annual flowers. Once the annual flowers die this fall, I want to bring the evergreen lemon cypress indoors for the winter so it won’t die. ( I have tried overwintering this rather expensive shrub outdoors but it always dies.) Do you have any tips for keeping Lemon Cypress alive indoors until spring? T., Email

A. The best thing you can do for overwintering plants indoors is to give them plenty of light and lots of humidity. A dry house with low humidity will turn your lemon cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) brown but by misting the foliage and setting the pot on top of a layer of pebbles and water you can raise the humidity and keep the plant green. The good news is that you may only need to move it indoors for the coldest months of the year or when a hard freeze is expected. The lemon cypress can handle some frost especially if grown in a protected area like a front porch. It is cold winds and freezing weather that sends them to the compost pile.

Q. We are making our own wreaths to give as holiday gifts. What type of evergreens last the longest? W.G., Olympia

A. Cedar gets my vote but if you are sure the wreath will stay outdoors, holly is another long lasting evergreen. Mix in some pine and spruce and you’ll have a masterpiece.

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.