Pots of bulbs

Weeks of spring colour - in a pot!

For successive spring flowers, plant your bulbs in layers.

The general rule of thumb is that bulbs should be planted to about 2-3 times the depth of the bulb so select your bulbs for their bulb size, flowering height and flowering dates.  All reputable bulb growers will provide these details on the packaging.

On the bottom layer, place the largest, tallest-stemmed, latest-flowering bulb working up through the layers with the smallest, shortest-stemmed, earliest-flowering bulb at the top.   It really is that easy to ensure consistent colour from several weeks!

For further information, click here to see the handy video produced by Taylors, our bulb supplier.

For best results ...

• use a quality bulb planting compost,
• place some croc or gravel in the bottom of the pot for drainage
• Plant some winter pansies or violas on the top layer to get flowers from autumn through to spring
•  lift the pot off the ground with pot feet to minimise frost damage

After flowering

Continue to water and feed the container allowing the bulb leaves to grow until they die back naturally. The food produced by the leaves during this post-flowering period is what allows the bulb to form all it’s leaves and flowers ready to grow again the following year.

If you want to re-use the bulbs again, put the pot to one side for the summer and start again in the autumn.  Whilst the bulbs are dormant (after their leaves have died back) it is not advisable to water them as this will cause rot.  After 2 or 3 flowering seasons, the bulbs will have outgrown the pot, and you’ll need to transplant them into a bigger pot, or plant into the garden.