Choosing the right location to grow tulips in pots
Tulips (T. humilis) flower in early spring so around late March. They can be grown in a variety of situations: outdoors in pots, or straight in the ground. Tulips are easy to grow, and they make excellent flower bed plants because they require little space. They require little attention, so they’re perfect for a small pot, apartment balconies, and busy people!
Tulips bloom well when sited properly. They love direct sunlight, so a lovely sunny spot to produce gorgeous blooms in the afternoon sun is ideal. Tulips are not ideal to grow indoors. Indoor tulips won’t work as indoor plants as they have different needs. However, there is nothing wrong with cut tulips in fresh water that are in full bloom from the grocery stores for your sunny window.
The Best Time To Plant Tulips
November is the best time to plant tulips. Any earlier and you are at risk of tulip fire – a fungal disease. If you forget, as I have at times, then you can still plant your bulbs in late winter, so in December and early January and you will still get your new blooms.
Here’s how you can grow tulips in pots
Terra cotta pots look great for growing tulips in. Cover the bottom of the pot with small rocks, broken pottery or pebbles to help with drainage and keep the drainage holes clear so the pots don’t get waterlogged.
Half fill your pot with a mix of garden soil and peat-free compost. I find this is the best way for the longevity of new bulbs and good drainage for the tulip pots. If you have new soil then that is even better. If not make sure the soil from your garden is free from roots, if your soil is clay, add in extra gravel to break it up. This will ensure your next season flowers are as strong as they can be!
Make a planting hole in your soil/compost mix at 3 times the new tulip bulbs depth, leaving 4 cm between each of the fresh bulbs. If you have larger bulbs leave around 8 cm.
Cover the bulbs with compost, then water, and there you have your potted tulips! I always think tulip blooms look amazing when there are plenty of them on display. There is nothing more pretty than looking out your window at the colorful tulips in their planted containers.
Right Growing Conditions
The soil of the potted bulbs – must be moist but well-drained neutral to alkaline soil. If the pH of your soil is slightly acidic, then add lime to increase the pH. Add a potting mix as required. A dry location is preferable to a soggy one!
The ideal temperature to plant – The soil temperature needs to be around 15 degrees celsius for you to plant your bulbs, so November is a good idea time before the first frost.
Sunlight – Tulips like warmer climates, so plenty of sunny conditions to achieve their full potential. Some species of tulips like Gavota tolerate the shade also.
Flowering times – You can get a variety of tulips that bloom at different times. Some are early bloom in late March and some are as late as May
Caring For Tulips In Pots
Soil care – they must not get waterlogged or the bulbs will rot, but they need enough water to grow.
Deadheading – you can do this when the flowers have died down. Don’t cut the green leaves off until a month after flowering as this foilage is feeding the bulb for the second year. At this time you can lift and store the tulip bulbs for next fall.
Storing bulbs – Once you have lifted the bulbs, peel off their flaky coating and leave them to dry. Once dried place them in a brown paper bag, store them in a cool place that is also a dry dark place and frost-free. Like an unheated garage.
Beautiful flowers
If you have a considerable amount of money to invest in a tulip collection, you may want to consider buying them all at once. This could entail buying several varieties of different kinds of tulips from different breeders, primarily Dutch breeders — so that they can be pot-grown in the same environment. This will ensure that they get similar soil conditions and grow equally well throughout their life cycle.
Planted Tulip Pots
Involving the cultivation of tulips in pots, the well-known plant is not merely a pleasurable pastime. It is also a significant investment when considered an element of Mother Nature’s artistic expression. There are many types of tulips. For example, there are the hybrid tulips which have been created by crossing different types of tulips with each other and then distributing them in the same pot. In spite of the fact that this type of tulip has been popularized worldwide, there are still several cultivars available for purchase including Apricot Beauty which is known for its yellow colour and its unique blooming time that comes in April or May. Another early single tulip is Prinses Irene.
Planted tulip pots with botanical tulips are great for people who want their tulips to remain all year round without having to constantly replant them each tulip season. They are shorter hardy plants and will last a long time. You won’t have to lift the bulbs each year, so no worry about the time of planting. They will just pop up the following spring!
If you enjoyed this post you may like these:
What do I do with bulbs it’s not even may.
Leave the blooms to die down naturally, this will put energy back in the bulb for next year. I don’t touch mine until the start of summer!
My potted tulips bloomed an died within two weeks. What could I do to save so next time I’ll know
Hi Stephanie, thanks for your query.
Tulips in pots unfortunately don’t last as long as if they were in the ground. 2-4 weeks is about right for blooming in a pot. Tulips in pots can dry out very easily, so make sure they are well-watered and in a sunny spot.
When can tulips be moved to a different location? I have found some and they need to moved.
Good Question!
Yes they can be moved to a different place, just wait until the leaves have died back in the summer and then you can dig them up and replant in the Autumn.
I hope this helps.