The paperwhite that looks like you started it back in October You love the look of paperwhites coming up in a bowl of moss every December, and you'd rather not gamble on whether they bloom in time. The bulb is hand-finished with paper detail and molded roots, which is the part cheap versions skip. ✓ Hand-finished bulb — foam with a paper-detail finish and molded roots, 2 inches across ✓ A metal pick at the base — push it into foam or moss so the bulb sits like it's really growing ✓ Or take the pick off — clip it with wire cutters and stand the stem in clear glass ✓ Eight blooms — different sizes, some clustered, the uneven way real paperwhites open ✓ Wired stem, soft leaves — bend the stem for a more interesting line, and the five leaves fall naturally ✓ 17.5 inches — sized for a bowl, a cloche, or a narrow glass cylinder Group three or five in a bowl of moss for the forced-bulb look, or stand them in clear glass so the roots show.