Tulips in pots are coming to an end just now at the very end of May
TV and magazines have been full of gardens bursting with tulips in pots of all kinds. I’ve always grown my tulips in pots, lifting them out when they’re over and using the pot for a plant I’ve bought that needs a home of its own.
Tulip Orange Emperor flowers early in April and was over by the end of April
You’ve spotted the problem already haven’t you. I soon run out of pots to use for new plants.
Since I don’t bother with temporary summer annuals and use the pots for the new perennial plants I keep buying, I then have no spare pots for the tulips come November and have to buy some more pots to plant the tulips in. And on it goes until I can’t move for pots.
Orange Ballerina, purple Attila and pale something in pots at Gravetye Manor Garden
Carol Klein in her recent Ch 5 tv programme explained why tulips don’t flower well a second time. It’s worth watching. So if we buy good value cheaper bulbs from JParkers or GeeTee bulbs then let’s treat them as annuals and not give ourselves a hard time trying to get a second year from them.
How well do tulips in pots survive wet and windy weather?
Here’s a spectacular pot of Purple Dream over a few weeks.
From this on 24th April
25 tulips Purple Dream in a big yellow pot
to this on 8th of May
Tulips looking a bit windswept
To this on 17th May
Oh Dear. Definitely past their best
After ten days of looking at this, I cracked and pulled them out.
And from this lovely pot of clusiana Cynthia tulips, tiny robust species tulips that would be perennial if in the border………
Species tulip clusiana Cynthia – so pretty
To this pile of stems when, after I had lifted them, the squirrels ate every single bulb
The squirrels left me these bits. So kind.
So that was definitely the end of those, which would have been perennial if I had been able to replant them.
Here are Amazing Parrot on the right, already opening and Apricot Parrot on the left, still quite closed on 2nd May
Parrot tulips are an acquired taste. These two varieties lasted longer than my other tulips.
Here they are on 14th May after some rain.
And a few days later
They lasted open like this until May 24th when I pulled out those in the photo.
Here is Temple of Beauty from the top class Blomsbulbs.com bowed down by some rain in mid May
But amazingly they regained their strength and stood tall and strong for a few more weeks. Still looking good today even after hailstorms. This variety is definitely one for next year as it lasts through bad weather so well.
Tulip Temple of Beauty. A fantastic tulip in every way.
When they look this wonderful it is very hard to cut them for a vase but I’ve written here about how you can have enough in the garden to pick a few. How to have cut flowers from your small garden
These Marianne in a pot by the front door kept going from this
To this
And, would you believe it, back again. At least three times responding to atrocious weather and then sunny calm periods.
A truly amazing tulip for pots
This below is Ballerina, an incredibly popular, successful tulip that I buy new every year. It grows tall and strong , last for 6 weeks or more and has the scent of orange sherbert. It has stood tall through all this rain and wind we’ve had. A truly amazing tulip.
Ballerina, surely the best orange tulip for being long lasting.
So my conclusion is that it is always worth having some tulips in pots, every year, even though some years they don’t last as long as others. If you have a budget for it, have fun with the colours you love and they really will lift your heart as we come out of winter into spring. As for timing, buy them in the autumn and plant them by Christmas.
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I hope you’re all able to enjoy being outside, whatever space you have. Best wishes, Julie
I grew tulips in pots for the first time this season (planted in November) and they have only just finished. They really did provide a wonderful pop of colour throughout March – May. I much prefer tulips in pots than in the borders where they don’t really make much of an impact. Like you, once they are over, they go in the compost heap. I’m looking forward to choosing my next batch in September!
Hello Jenny how lovely to hear from you – and you have a compost heap too. I’m very passionate about compost – oh how things change. Best wishes, Julie
Hi there! I have grown tulips in pots as well, although not as many as yourself. And I agree, Ballerina is amazing. So I successfully grew them for two years, this being the third year was not so great. I may have underwatered, For the soil I used a mix of sand, soil and compost with bonemeal at planting time. I fertilized with a bulb fertilizer when they started growing in the spring and then again when they finished blooming. After, I set the pots aside to a part-shade area and continued to water til the leaves died down. I occasionally watered throughout the summer. Our climate here on Vancouver Island is much like your own, so they’re watered by nature during the winter and spring. This year I have put the bulbs into the compost, amended the soil and filled with annuals. Next autumn I will definitely replant, especially Ballerina. Thanks for your interesting articles.
Thankyou so much for your comments Kathleen. Well done getting more than one year, and yes, aren’t Ballerina great value for money and for colour. Best wishes, Julie
Thanks so much Julie. Really really useful to see what all these different tulips turn out like and how they fare in the terrible weather – so we can choose some interesting ones for next year. Must Def buy a range that flower at different times.
So nice to get an encouraging comment – you’re right, takes a bit of thought to get ones that flower from March thru to end of May but it’s worth it. I think a list of names are needed – on my to do list. XJulie
Hello!
What beautiful photographs! I grow Orange Emperor tulips and this is the 4th year they have been in the ground, and were as good as the first year they were planted. They were bought from a local garden centre close to where I live in north London – maybe I shall return in the Autumn and trying some on pots. I have been enthused by your wonderful display. Thank you for a great blog! Helen
Hello Helen, well that’s a great tip for me. I’ll put Orange Emperor in the border next time as I’m north London too so should work for me too. So glad my blog has enthused you, that’s what it’s all about for me, to share the small joys of our gardens. Best wishes, Julie
What better way to add a pop of color?
True, they are great for a big splash of colour and we all have our different choices, pastels or brights or white or dark purple. There’s a colour for everyone with tulips. Best wishes, Julie
Just planted my first tulips in pots this autumn so hopefully will have a lovely display like you come spring in the Southern Hemisphere,
Oh lovely Barbara, do you have different varieties there or the same as us? What colours do you prefer?
We have Ballerina in a border where it keeps coming back as good as ever (4th year) despite all my diggings and messing around in the border, so does Negrita providing a good purple foil. But apart from these a big yes to pots!
That’s very useful to hear – I could do better to put those in the border and leave them in and just have 8 or so in a pot. Four years is pretty good going. Thanks for the tip. Best wishes, Julie
About 30 years ago I moved into house that had a resident tulip that came up every year despite my ill treatment of it. It was wedged in beside a dwarf wall of brick and mortar. Every year I would pull it up quite roughly because it messed up my other bedding arrangements (I’m much kinder now). It was a tall and sturdy red and yellow variety and withstood anything mother nature threw at it. I wonder if modern bulbs have become more disposable to encourage us to buy them every year?
I would guess you’re probably right.
Just joined and this Tulip related post has definitely encouraged me not to continue trying to get more than one year out of my tulips. Off to empty the four pots and shop for some plants later this week…AND look forward to choosing new tulips later this year!! Not been a good winter for tulips in pots in SE this year, in my experience. Thank you!
Oh Carol what an interesting comment. It’s disappointing to wait 10 months for tulips to reappear isn’t it, especially if you have a small garden like I do. I know it’s an expense but I think it’s worth it for the reliability. Modern varieties seem to have built-in obsolescence. Yes, let’s look forward to choosing maybe something different this autumn. Thank you so much for getting in touch. Best wishes Julie