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tulips in pots

historymanhistoryman Posts: 141
in Problem solving
Watching Carol Klein "life in a cottage garden" I copied her idea of tulips in pots. At the end of season of flowering do I keep bulbs in pots or store them?
Thanks

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Most tulips diminish over time, except for the species types. 
    You can certainly keep them in the pots. Just keep them somewhere that they won't get waterlogged, and feed them as they die back to help build up their reserves.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    There are a few that will multiply in the ground, but they don't get enough sustenance in pots, so mostly you need to treat them as single-use. The varieties that have multiplied in my garden included 'China Pink' and 'White Triumphator', so other lily-flowered forms would be worth trying. I've had a pot of 'Tres Chic' last year and am waiting to see whether it reblooms. I am always optimistic...
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    edited January 2021
    I always plant new tulips in pots each year, mainly because l like to try different colours. I think that as @cambridgerose12 says, they're better treated as single use.
    Nothing to stop you trying a second year though, especially if it's a variety you really like. 
  • historymanhistoryman Posts: 141
    Thank you all for advice would it be best to plant them in the garden after a year in pot?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I usually do that with mine, and if I get a couple of flowers from them, all to the good  :)
    I don't really have suitable conditions for them in the ground, even in the most suitable border, so pots are better. I can keep them sheltered form the wet stuff more easily. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    edited January 2021
    You can do that by all means. I usually get another year of a reasonable display from them, but never as stunning as the first year.
  • TerryannTerryann Posts: 48
    I have 2 pots of tulips this year, can I plant some bedding plants in same pot after tulips have finished?  Leaving the tulips in place, if they come back next year, it's a bonus, or will they rot and cause problems with anything else I grow in pot? 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hi @Tmilton 147 - unless it's plants which like dry, warm conditions, it isn't a great idea. Anything needing lots of water won't be good for the tulips. You could always remove the tulips and put them in another pot somewhere out the way if you want to use the pot they're in.
    The tulips themselves wouldn't cause a problem to anything else though.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • TerryannTerryann Posts: 48
    Thanks @fairygirl, I will use different pots for bedding, do I keep the tulips dry in summer in compost or just on their own, i.e. Loose in a paper bag? 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Once they've died back completely, and had a feed or two while that happens, if you just keep them fairly dry in the compost/soil they're in, that will be fine. Some people lift them, but I don't think it's really necessary.
    A sheltered spot somewhere keeps them protected from the worst of the wet weather, and that depends on what sort of local climate you have. They like drier, warmer conditions while dormant  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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