Mixing can not describe the beautiful tulips, but they also have a daunting warning. First, the most unreliable returns more than two or three years ideal conditions are necessary, or even longer life. There are also camouflage them dying leaves and padding problems before they leave behind-taking bare dots, of course, vole, squirrel, and other garden predators do not grab their blossoming bulbs.
Tulips in the container can also grow very beautiful, in the pot, tulip eye-catching, portable and protected. Whether or not they have succeeded all gardeners-regardless of planting tulips inground-should try this simple trick.
The best time to cook a tulip is in early autumn, the same if you are planted on the ground. Several containers have been prepared with an external diameter of at least 18 inches and an external height of at least 15 inches. Use any light bulb that minimizes the effects and viability of planting.
If you want a particular color to appear at the same time, select the same class of tulips. Short groups such as single breakfast, double breakfast, and trips, the containers are obvious choices as they blend with spring-grown plants and will not outdo their pots. There is no harm, however, in trying higher or more exotic types such as parrot and Viridiflora.
Tulips can be planted in a variety of colors in one container, which is more appealing to the eye. You only have 18-22 bulbs / container space, so continuous flowering (six tulips bloom for a week, another six blooming two weeks later, for example) looks less amazing than the design flower.
Step 1: Plant bulbs so that they almost touch
To make the containers less heavy and easier to move, place an upside-down plastic grower pot at the bottom of each container. Fill the containers two-thirds full with any inexpensive, lightweight potting mix. Don’t bother with fertilizer. Ignore traditional spacing guidelines, and place the tulip bulbs in a tight circular pattern. Cover the bulbs with potting mix, planting the bulbs at the same depth you would plant them in the ground: generally two to three times the bulb’s height.
Animals are less likely to disturb tulips planted in containers than those planted in the ground. But for added protection, place a wire grid, such as a round peony support, on top of the soil (photo, below), and cover it with a thin layer of potting mix.
Not all potted bulbs are forced
It’s easy to confuse growing tulips in containers with the time-honored tradition of bulb forcing, but the two methods are quite different.
Potting up bulbs and storing them in an unheated space mimics inground planting, and the flowers will emerge in midspring. Forcing bulbs involves planting the bulbs just below the soil surface, with their tips peeking out (photo, above).
Potted in fall, forced bulbs are stored in the dark at root-cellar temperature (about 40°F), then moved from the cellar into an area with light and warmth after just 10 to 12 weeks. They flower in midwinter, well before bulbs planted at normal depths outdoors or in containers.
Step 2: Give them a sheltered spot to spend the winter
If you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 7, place the planted pots in an unheated garage. This protects them from undergoing a freeze-and-thaw cycle, which turns potted bulbs into mush. Water them when they’re in place; you won’t need to water again until spring. If you don’t have an unheated garage and live in a region with freezing temperatures, you’ll need another strategy for keeping the containers cold, dry, and insulated. The goal is to keep the planted bulbs just above freezing.
Check on your pots in early spring. Water them lightly. When the tulips start peeking above the surface, bring them out and place them on display. Water as you would any container plant; the tulips will bloom at the same time as those planted in the ground.
Once the blooms fade, you can gently transplant the bulbs into a sunny bed, but all the caveats regarding inground planting still apply. The best and bravest option is simply to compost the spent bulbs and start planning a different color scheme for the following year.
Keep the show going
If you know which tulips belong to, you can usually predict when to spend. The design of some containers containing the different tulip blossoming time is an easy way to extend the tulip season as long as possible. However, this is not a perfect science, so be prepared to welcome your tulips if they spend early or late.
