The winner: Lily, 88/100. Tied for second at 76: Calla Lily, Tulips. Lowest upkeep of the qualifiers: Tulips at 76.
Bulbs that will bloom on a January windowsill: judged on how much of winter the trade window covers, how simple the forcing is, and the scent you get for the trouble.
The picks
The flowers that won
The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
Winter window it can fill indoors: 2 of 4 window months · Forcing without a manual: low · Scent on the windowsill: light
Flaws, not dealbreakers:the show is short, about 2 months; toxic to cats
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A)Not for cat households
68/ 100tap for the breakdown
Winter window it can fill indoors20 / 352 of 4 window months
Forcing without a manual35 / 35low
Scent on the windowsill13 / 30light
The protocol
How the score is built
3 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Winter window it can fill indoors35 pointsavailable in bloom across all four winter months 35; three 28; two 20; one 12; window unproven 5; no window data 10 Read from: florist availability months.
Forcing without a manual35 pointslow upkeep 35; middling 20; demanding 6; sources disagree, we average the range; no rating 18 Read from: how much upkeep extension guides report.
Scent on the windowsill30 pointsroom-filling scent 30; noticeable up close 22; light 13; documented scentless 6; sources silent 10 Read from: how strong the scent is on record.
Not ranked here: not a bulb; no documented indoor bloom.
The full method ↗
The leaderboard
Every qualifier, ranked
The 9 highest of 9 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
Winter window it can fill indoors5 / 350 of 4 window months
Forcing without a manual20 / 35medium
Scent on the windowsill13 / 30light
Considered, not chosen
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this question is not theirs.
not a bulbRoses, Peonies, Sunflower and 66 more
no documented indoor bloomDahlia, Irises, Anemone and 4 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Lily
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
