November is a transitional month when gardeners have watched the leaves turn from brilliant reds, yellows and oranges to crusty, brown debris that litters the earth. The yard has been put down to rest, and we wait for winter to rear its head.

But we don’t have to resign ourselves to an entire season without the cheer of blooming flowers. You can infuse your home with bursts of living color by “forcing” bulbs indoors. If you start now, your bulbs should have blooms by late December, January and February — the months when we most long for the scent of hyacinth or the image of a perfect pink tulip.

Penny Spano, salesperson at Sunrise Garden Center, 15th and New York streets, says forcing bulbs is an easy and wonderful winter garden hobby.

“It is inexpensive,” she says. “And with the holidays right around the corner, they make fantastic gifts.”

The term forcing refers to “tricking” the bulb into producing its leaves and blooms ahead of its natural schedule and out of its natural environment. The idea is to mimic and compress the process the plant would undergo in the garden.

Bulbs are available at most area garden centers. It’s important to start the process of forcing bulbs now because some bulbs can take up to two or three months before they begin to flower.

“Paper Whites should be planted by mid-November,” she says, “and amaryllis really should be started right now in order to have them blooming over the holiday season.”

Many nurseries and flower shops have already started indoor bulbs, so there is no need to panic. For instance, in addition to bare bulbs ready for potting, Sunrise also has amaryllis in various stages of growth that already have been potted.

When choosing bulbs, use the utmost scrutiny — just as you would when selecting any other plant or picking out fruit at the grocery store. Look over the bulbs carefully and be sure to purchase varieties that are nice and fat, never squishy or discolored.

An enormous assortment of bulbs can be forced during the winter months. Minor bulbs, such as snowdrops, scilla, muscari, chionodoxa and crocus, are small and require a more petite container. They often look wonderful mixed together.

Major bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips, amaryllis and hyacinths, prefer a more substantial container and often look best grouped one plant variety per container.

Regardless of the size of the bulb, they all should be handled the same way. Situate the bulb with the pointed side up, and lay the bulbs closely together but not touching. Bulbs such as hyacinth, crocus and narcissi can be grown in pebbles and water with no soil. However, this method usually completely exhausts these bulbs, and they should be disposed of after blooming. Bulbs forced in soil often can be replanted in the yard after they flower.

Bulbs such as crocus can be grown in pebbles and water with no soil.

After planting the bulbs, place them in a cool, dark spot, such as a cellar or basement, an unheated garage or cool closet. This cooling process will initiate the root and shoot growth. Cold storage is a critical step in forcing bulbs; the ideal temperature is anywhere from 35 to 48 degrees. A rule of thumb is when shoots are 2 to 3 inches above the soil and white roots are emerging — this takes approximately 12 weeks for early bloomers such as snowdrops, daffodils and crocus and about 16 weeks for tulips — it is time to take the bulbs out of cold storage and set them in a sunny spot where they will continue to grow and eventually flower.

Last year, Spano had luck with a potted amaryllis that she was able to enjoy during a mid-winter span that might otherwise have been dull and gray.

“I had a giant pot of five or so coral-colored amaryllis sitting on my kitchen island, and I cannot even remotely express how beautiful those flowers were and what lasting joy they brought me,” she says. “Those amaryllis were blooming for probably three weeks. It was a terrific gift.”