I do, unless I want to plant them out. Depends on the bulb @celcius_kkw Tulips are mainly seen as annuals for me, apart from my species ones. I just put the pots somewhere out of the way, give them some food as they die down, and then refresh the top layer in late winter [depending on the timing of the bulb flowering] give them some slow release food, before putting them where I want them. I often swap them into a posh pot, or group them with other pots, hiding the plastic pot they're in.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl I have got a mixture of tulips and daffodils this year.. I’m just wondering if it’s worth keeping them after they’ve flowered and simply buy new ones annually.. I hear stories about how bulbs don’t flower as well the year after etc..
@celcius_kkw I think that tulips (unless they're the species type which l haven't grown for many years) are better off treated as annuals. Narcissi tend to do okay for 2 years, maybe 3 at a push, that's my personal experience.
As @AnniD says - tulips are the tricky ones. They diminish over a couple of years. The species ones and a couple of others being the exception. Most daffs/narcissi are fine, but some of the fancier ones can be slightly fussier with conditions. There's also the problem of squirrels removing bulbs [usually small ones nearer the surface] or rotting/drying out depending on the soil conditions. They do benefit from some food while dying back too, which is something I've learned here on the forum. I never did that in the distant past I wonder if that's the problem for yours @AnniD? General growing conditions?
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl, l'm ashamed to say l only feed them if l remember 😳. I usually stick the pots of the varieties l want to keep behind the greenhouse and let the foliage die down. I give them a drop of water when l remember, in fact this morning l intend to get the pots out and check them over (from memory they are narcissi and muscari, this will be the muscari's 3rd year). The newly planted pots for this year will also hide behind the greenhouse until late Winter/early Spring, covered by a Heath Robinson construction of bricks and trellis to keep any passing squirrels at bay 🤞.
I reckon most daffs/narcissus generally need a bit of moisture to do well, rather than being too dry. I tend to keep mine sheltered against walls a bit more, as we have the opposite problem, and they could easily get waterlogged, especially from now until spring. Maybe it's worth trying a bit more water? Funnily enough - the other day someone was asking about bulbs and she had planted loads, but had hardly any flowering in the second year. She had very dry conditions. I suggested she tried a little experiment - doing a small area and keeping it moister. She found the dwarf ones a little better, but they would get more moisture at the time they're forming buds/flowers, so I reckoned that might be the reason. I'll see if I can find that thread.
D'oh - it's this thread
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
Tulips are mainly seen as annuals for me, apart from my species ones.
I just put the pots somewhere out of the way, give them some food as they die down, and then refresh the top layer in late winter [depending on the timing of the bulb flowering] give them some slow release food, before putting them where I want them. I often swap them into a posh pot, or group them with other pots, hiding the plastic pot they're in.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Most daffs/narcissi are fine, but some of the fancier ones can be slightly fussier with conditions. There's also the problem of squirrels removing bulbs [usually small ones nearer the surface] or rotting/drying out depending on the soil conditions. They do benefit from some food while dying back too, which is something I've learned here on the forum. I never did that in the distant past
I wonder if that's the problem for yours @AnniD? General growing conditions?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I usually stick the pots of the varieties l want to keep behind the greenhouse and let the foliage die down. I give them a drop of water when l remember, in fact this morning l intend to get the pots out and check them over (from memory they are narcissi and muscari, this will be the muscari's 3rd year).
The newly planted pots for this year will also hide behind the greenhouse until late Winter/early Spring, covered by a Heath Robinson construction of bricks and trellis to keep any passing squirrels at bay 🤞.
Funnily enough - the other day someone was asking about bulbs and she had planted loads, but had hardly any flowering in the second year. She had very dry conditions. I suggested she tried a little experiment - doing a small area and keeping it moister. She found the dwarf ones a little better, but they would get more moisture at the time they're forming buds/flowers, so I reckoned that might be the reason.
I'll see if I can find that thread.
D'oh - it's this thread
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...