I want to grow flowers early in the year to cut for vases indoors. However I don’t have room for a cutting patch. What to do? Well last autumn I crammed spring bulbs into 6 big plastic pots. I’m pleased to say they are coming up and I can cut a few every few days for the house.
I can’t bring myself to cut blooms from the borders as then I’d be left with nothing to look at and I know others feels the same. I had the idea to grow daffodils and tulips for cutting crammed in 6 big plastic pots. Because I wanted to have flowers early in the year I chose early scented daffodils and the more unusual and exotic tulips.
two pots of daffs and two of tulips
Just three stems in a vase are enough to have on the table and these pots will provide that for several months.
Narcissi cut when just in bud so they open in the warmth of the house
Three stems of multi-headed narcissi are enough for a small vase
What will I do when they’re over? Well one thing I can do is to leave the bulbs in for next year. .By early July I can then pull away the yellow foliage and put some colourful summer bedding in the pots on top of the bulbs. That way I will have interest till about November.
I could alternatively let the foliage die down and then lift and store the bulbs in the shed to replant them in the borders in October. I would then buy fresh ones for the pots for flowers next spring. Luckily bulbs are relatively cheap to buy in bulk from wholesale companies and they can be planted as late as December.
I’ve written more here about spring bulbs for show. I think tulips look so wonderful in a pot the last thing I would want to do is cut even one of them. You could think about having a cheap pot full of one type of bulb for bringing indoors next February when we all need all the colour a scent we can find.
Have a look at Instagram for more photos of the garden.
I’ll need to think about this. sounds good.
You can really cram them in touching each other. Doesn’t look decorative but does produce the goods.
What a good idea. I can’t force myself to pick so much as a rose for the house which is silly because I’d reallysee more of it indoors than out !
I know what you mean but me too, can’t bear it cos it can last so much longer outside and indoors only a few days. Lucky old huge gardens who can have a vast cutting garden tucked away behind the tennis courts next to the swimming pool so they can pick things and not notice they’re gone!!!!!
It is a very good idea that I will remember.
I have pots with springbulbs too but just to look at. Because I also have a very small garden, I know the problem with hiding the pots during summer. Last year I found out that I can hide them in the borders. Under/behind small bushes and under the leaves of perennaials and other plants. One pot here. One pot there. I only have six to hide, and it works ok. I used to think that they should be hidden all together. They don’t need so of course and that made it easier.
Kind regards Lisbeth
Oh what a clever idea! I had never thought of that. I had always had them sitting about on the paving but now I can see I could tuck them under shrubs. Oh my goodness how we can give each other such great ideas! Thanks so much for your comment and I shall go to your blog at once. best wishes Julie