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
