Nothing could be easier than grabbing a couple of handfuls of paperwhite bulbs and potting them up for the coming holidays. No need to cool them down or make them go dormant first — just set them into an attractive container, add water and watch them grow.

I have an old Italian ceramic dish that I found at a yard sale many years ago. It’s perfect for paperwhites.

Most varieties of paperwhites will come into flower about three weeks after planting. First they set roots down into the water, then the green shoots begin to emerge.

Start them in a sunny window, then move the pot into indirect light once they begin to bloom to make them last longer.

A room with temperatures in the low 60s is best. The cooler the room, the less likely they are to flop over. If they do, tie them up with a ribbon and rotate them regularly.

Paperwhites, which belong to the tazetta division of the genus Narcissus, don’t need potting soil. Just fill a shallow container with rocks or gravel and set the bulbs on top, adding just enough water to touch the base of the bulbs. If you leave too much of the bulbs sitting in water, they’ll rot.

Prices for paperwhites usually range from 79 to 99 cents a bulb (or even cheaper if you bulk order by mail).

Once the bulbs are in place, I like to cover the bare bulbs with moss.

The snow-white cultivar Ziva is among the most popular varieties, but it has a strong musky scent that drives some people right out of the room. Other cultivars include Jerusalem, Galilee, Israel, the yellow-petaled Nazareth and the golden Bethlehem. If you like the sweetly fragrant lemon-yellow Soleil d’Or, you need to allow four to five weeks for bloom.

Paperwhites are too tender for the outdoors. Toss them onto the compost pile when they’re done.