17.5" Faux Paper White Stem w/Bulb

• The bulb is the whole point: hand-finished with paper detail and molded roots, not a molded blank
• Two ways to use it: pick it into moss, or clip the pick off and stand it in glass
• Eight blooms, all different: some clustered together, the uneven way real paperwhites open
• Shapeable to your needs: the wired stem bends and angles for a more interesting line
• No fragrance: the look of paperwhites without the smell people either love or cannot take
• Back every December: no water, no forcing, and no bulbs to buy again next year

• Bowl of moss: push the picks into foam, cover with moss, and vary the heights
• Clear glass: clip the pick off and let the bulb and roots show through the vessel
• Under a cloche: one or two on a shelf or console for a quiet moment
• Grouped: three to five for a small bowl, seven or more for a full display
• Counters and windowsills: the scale suits a kitchen counter or a shallow sill
• Through winter: paperwhites read December, and plain white carries into January

• Length: 17.5 inches, from the bottom of the bulb to the top of the blooms
• Bulb: about 2 inches, foam with a plastic coating and hand-applied paper detail
• Roots: molded plastic, finished below the bulb
• Base: a metal pick for pushing into foam or moss, and it clips off with wire cutters
• Blooms: eight, in differing sizes, some clustered together
• Leaves: five, not wired
• Stem: wired, so you can bend and angle it
• Material: foam bulb with plastic coating and paper detail, molded plastic roots, metal pick
• Care: no water, no forcing, no upkeep
• Sold as: a single stem (one stem shown in the photo)

How tall is this faux paperwhite stem?

It is 17.5 inches from the bottom of the bulb to the top of the blooms, with the bulb itself about 2 inches across. That is scaled to sit in a bowl, under a cloche, or in a narrow glass cylinder rather than a tall vase.

What is the metal pick at the bottom for?

The pick lets you push the stem down into floral foam or moss so the bulb sits right at the surface, the way a real forced paperwhite grows out of a bowl. It holds the stem upright and hides the mechanics. If you would rather not use it, clip it off with wire cutters.

Can you put a faux paperwhite in a glass vase?

Yes. Clip the metal pick off the bottom with a good pair of wire cutters and the stem sits in a clear glass vase or cylinder. Because the bulb and roots are finished, glass actually shows off the part most faux bulbs get wrong.

What is the bulb made of?

The bulb is foam with a plastic coating and hand-applied paper detailing, about 2 inches across, and the roots below it are molded plastic. That combination is what gives it the papery skin and root structure of a real forced bulb.

How many blooms are on this paperwhite stem?

Eight, in a range of sizes, with some grouped into tighter clusters and others sitting on their own. That unevenness is what makes it read real, because a real paperwhite opens a few at a time rather than all at once.

Can you bend or shape this paperwhite stem?

Yes, the stem is wired, so you can bend and angle it to give the stem a more interesting line instead of a straight one. The five leaves are not wired and keep their own soft, natural fall. The stem also cuts shorter with wire cutters.

How many faux paperwhite stems do you need for a bowl?

Three to five fill a small bowl of moss nicely, and seven or more reads like a full forced bulb display. Paperwhites are a clustered flower by nature, so they look better grouped than standing alone. A single stem works as a quiet accent on a shelf.

What are paperwhites and why are they a Christmas flower?

Paperwhites are a narcissus, a cousin of the daffodil, that people force indoors in bowls of stones or moss so they bloom in midwinter. Because they flower right around the holidays with very little effort, they became a December tradition. This faux version skips the timing gamble entirely.

How do you style faux paperwhites in moss?

Fill a low bowl or footed dish with floral foam, cover it with moss, then push the stems through the moss at slightly different heights. Bend each wired stem a little differently so they lean apart instead of standing in a row.

Are faux paperwhites better than forcing real bulbs?

They are if you want the look on a schedule. Real paperwhites take four to six weeks to force, often flop over as they stretch toward the light, and are finished within a couple of weeks of blooming. This one comes out of the box ready and returns every year.

Do faux paperwhites have a smell?

No, and for a lot of people that is the point. Real paperwhites carry a strong, musky fragrance that some love and others cannot be in a room with. The faux version gives you the look with no scent at all.

How do you store faux paperwhites between seasons?

Lay them flat in a box with the blooms supported so nothing crushes the clusters, and keep the leaves from getting folded, since they are not wired and will not spring back the way the stem does. A little care going in saves the shape coming out.