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| Bulbs in pots, photo courtesy of https://community.southernliving.com/ Image location is from Sarah Raven's garden at Perch Hill Farm (thanks Growntocook) |
I found this online a few years ago, and loved the idea of growing bulbs in pots like this. I wanted us to do it but I realize now it's just like getting them in the ground, you need to plan ahead. Of course, the only thing I would not like is when they aren't blooming, it's just a clay pot full of dirt, ha.
Maybe they could be stored somewhere until bloom time?
Anyone ever grow bulbs in pots like this? So pretty, that's for sure!
Be inspired!
I wonder if you can force the bulb to grow by keeping them cool and then putting them out in pots later in the season? I love this picture!
ReplyDeleteI've grown bulbs in pots, but wow---they didn't turn out that gorgeous. Woof!
ReplyDeleteI prefer bulbs in pots. They only bloom for one week---then you're left with the dying foliage. At least in a pot, you can put it behind the garage or wherever when it's done blooming. When it's in the yard, well, you better like looking at dying foliage. You aren't supposed to cut them down until they yellow---the bulbs need to "recharge".
i haven't done this but it's a good idea. one thing you can do is plant different bulbs at different depths and they will bloom at different times.
ReplyDeleteIn your climate, you'd need to treat the tulips like annuals and just pull them out and toss them. ( Or you can just leave them knowing they won't come back, but the dying foliage is not attractive)
ReplyDeleteLilies would be your best bet, and I"d experiment with freesia, anemone and ranunculus, too.
Then plant some sort of perennial like small daylilies or maybe some taller phlox and a Purple DOme aster above them to bloom later and hide the die back.
How about growing the bulbs in plastic pots, then when they are about to bloom, put them in the more decorative clay pots. You could rotate flowers according to bloom time. I'm sure that's what they did for those pictures. When you force bulbs, you need to control the daylight and temperature, that can require moving them around. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI have grown tulips in whiskey barrels for several years. Be prepared for several weeks of downtime after they blook... for the leaves to dry out and then you can clip them off... that's the only problem. Mine are growing very fast right now, in fact!
ReplyDeleteIn terms of you leaving it too late, you could buy a pot of flowering bulbs from a nursery and just sit that in a nice pot till they die then transplant the bulbs. In the case of the bare soil, what I do is plant the bulbs in a big pot, cover with soil then plant another plant, like a ground cover, on top. The bulbs come and go through the other plant. Tulips are lovely but they require work, I prefer Freesias and Petticoat Daffodils. Of course, I don't know how this would go with your climate. You could always bring the pot inside during winter. I have once garden bed that has a couple of different ground covers as well as a couple of miniature Azaleas. Underneath this is a collection of bulbs for different seasons. They happily come and go as the seasons turn. It is my favourite garden bed in terms of colour and scent. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteMy friend who works in a garden center said that pulling the bulbs out for a few days and replanting in the same pot is all you need to do to have them bloom next year. Plus, you can plant something that blooms a little later, even using seeds to have more foliage and blooms at the same time. Hosta that like sun will hide the dying and dead foliage while it needs to stay in the plant.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago, I posted a link to bulbs that return the next year. That way, you don't have to keep buying and planting bulbs. In a few hours, I am going to put another tulip post up. The tulips were not planted until Feb, I think. At any rate, the bulbs did not get into the ground/pots in the fall as they should.
If you find bulbs that bloom later, you can stagger the growing schedule so there are flowers all the time.
I posted the link on your site.
DeleteAs you normally plant tulips quite deep you could sow some shallow rooting annuals over them once they have flowered.
ReplyDeleteGill
Re-replying because I'm brain dead today :) - Watering would be my issue. By that I mean I forget to water. And the clay pots dry out quick.
ReplyDeleteTulips in pots in Western Canada are definitely treated like annuals, but tulips in the ground are fine. I planted a dozen bulbs in the yard when we moved into this house over 35 years ago. They have multiplied over the years and last summer I had over 200 flowers. Thanks to the birds and the squirrels they have moved them to lots of places around the yard.
ReplyDeleteThis picture was taken in Sarah Raven's garden at Perch Hill Farm! I volunteered there for a week almost eight years ago. It was in June and one of my jobs was taking these very tulips out of the pots and replanting with small dahlias. So fun to come across it on your blog!
ReplyDeleteI grow lots of bulbs in containers every year (this is the Netherlands after all ;-)) and during winter I store the pots in a sheltered spot by the house. I only put them in a more prominent spot when they start growing. I also plant different bulbs at different depths to have a succession of flowers (crocusses, narcissi, tulips).