Topic: Spring Bulbs

[Moggle]

Oh dear, I have just found a bulb catalogue in my Gardener's World magazine. I love Tulips and Daffodills and I think I might have to squeeze some on to the balcony for next spring. Perhaps some crocuses too for early flowering.  
I know nothing about bulbs - when do I plant em? I would be growing them in pots only, which I would then be wanting to use for other veg/flowers in the summer, can I dig them up and store over summer? If so when could I dig em up?
Oh, and can I mix them all up in the same pot (or several) or is it best to keep the different types of bulbs seperate?
Thanks all  :D

[aquilegia]

I grow most of my bulbs in pots.

You plant them any time between September and December, although I have planted tulips in February and still got a fantastic display.

I plant then under things like winter-flowering panseys so you get a good display through the winter. You can dig them up after the foliage has turned brown and store them through the summer. Or dig them up after the flowers have finished and plant them temporarily until the leaves turn brown to use the pot sooner (that's what I do). I'm experimenting with leaving some bulbs deep in the pots with summer plants in on top this year. (less work!)

I tend to put one type of bulbs in one pot. Although I'm experimenting with successional planting for next spring - I have daffs and blue and white bells in the same pot. I think they tend to look most striking if you just stick to one type, though.

[Jesse]

I grow all my bulbs in pots and like Aqui I plant other things to keep interest until they flower. Last year I planted a hanging basket with varigated ivy for a bit of greenery by the front door through winter. with the ivy I put in some spring bulbs, it was a lovely surprise to have some colour in the hanging basket so early in the year.

I've got bluebells under the hedgerow which pop up each year and flower beautifully. But I have to say the tulips that I plant don't seem to do so well if I keep them for more than one year. They do flower but not as well as in their first season - perhaps it is something I am doing wrong with them though.

[aquilegia]

Jesse - give them a good feed after the flowers have finished when the leaves start to die back to make sure the bulb has a good store of food.

[Jesse]

Thanks aqui, I will try that next year. It costs me a fortune to keep buying the bulbs! I wasn't feeding at that time so will give it a bash.

[Mrs Ava]

I have bulbs in pots and in the garden, as I just adore that first blitz of colour and the great thing with pots, you can move them about so you can see them when they are at their best and then tuck them away to let them rest in peace.  The kids planted a couple of pots, and they just got lots of different bulbs and planted them all in, so they have snowdrops, crocus, grape hyacinths, mini daffs and tulips all coming up in one pot, all at slightly different times.  Once they have died down, the leaves have gone all crispy, I guess you can dig them up and leave them somewhere cool, dark and dry to rest for the summer, and then replant in the autumn.

p.s.  the other great things about bulbs in pots is you can grow wonderfully exotic bulbs that aren't hardy because you bring them in over the winter and let them sleep, then as the weather starts to warm you start to water, and before you know it you have a pot full of weird and wonderful flowers!

[Moggle]

Thanks everyone for your tips. jparker.co.uk are doing 50 free crocuses with every order, and seem to have some lovely tulips, so I think I will get some soon, and some daffs as well. I love that end of winter feeling (relief?) you get when you see the spring bulbs coming up - and you know the better weather is on its way.
I am now thinking about doing pots of same varieties, or with the tulips, at least colour so-ordinating varieties, with a few crocuses around the edge so i can kind of get successional flowering a bit like what you're talking about Aqui.
Plocket, your ivy idea sounds good too  :)

[Garden Manager]

You can certainly plant a mixtire for a sucession of bulbs. I have one with early crocus, minatire daffs followed by tulips.Each one grows up just as theprevious one fades, hiding its dying foliage.

[tim]

Yes - Parker's do seem to be good value.

Don't forget, in containers, to plant at at least 2 depths. = Tim

[Moggle]

Ok thanks all for imparting your wisdom.
Another question, how much water would they want over winter? I am going away for all of december, and would have a hard time getting anyone to water them if it's needed.
It may just be best to plant early Jan, although would this work for crocuses?

[Jesse]

Moggle I leave my pots of bulbs outside through the winter and don't give any water apart from the first watering when they're planted. I thought bulbs grew their root system in the autumn, then went dormant through winter before sprouting the top bits in spring time, (I may be wrong about that though), so for that reason I never water during winter but the pots do get water from rainfall. You wouldn't want them too wet through winter otherwise they'll rot and with the cold in winter it takes considerably longer for the soil to dry out. Not sure about crocuses as they are the first to flower and have never grown them.

I had to smile to myself the other day when I went to the garden centre. You know how supermarkets put sweets on the shelving by the checkout, well I think garden centres do the same thing with spring bulbs. They caught me the other day, I was waiting to pay and of course four packets of tulips just found their way into my trolley, it wasn't me, honest, I didn't put them there!  ;D

[CotswoldLass]

Garden Monthly offer 125 bulbs for just over 5 squid....not as fab as Asda (wish there were one of those near here!) but I'll be sending the pennies.... ;)

[john_miller]

Can I pitch Erynthronium at this point? Expensive but spectacular.

[Mrs Ava]

Oh John.  Now they would take my breath away!  What gorgeous flowers. I have put the name in my 'I want' list.