I wanted to show what's coming up in my patio containers---I am surprised that the 'apricot beauty' tulips and the hyacinth 'gypsy queen' are actually blooming together...no sign of the narcissus 'solome', though...these bulbs were from Lowes.
I planted a couple of other large containers with bulbs, yet to show any green, much less bloom, though...maybe later this spring....
We grew these daffs, anemone blanda, muscari and deidre tulips in pots for a centerpiece on the patio table...
Another centerpiece with pansies, english ivy, and narcissus 'tete a tete'...
And this is a basket of tulipa 'creme upstar' with muscari...we use this indoors...
Okay..I just have to ask...are you a floral designer? Those are just beautiful....
Deb
Great job, t!
How flattering! No, deb, I'm just learning about gardening and plants---basically from what I pick up on DG and other internet sites...
I didn't know you could plant bulbs in containers. Is it too late for me to try this?
jdee, I just plopped some oriental lilies (that had sprouted in the hydrator) in a pot yesterday. But I'm in a cooler zone...
tabasco, great job! I especially like the tulip/hyacinth arrangement. The colors are spectacular!
Some day I'll get it right. Tulips and one other flower followed by lilies, all in the same pot, all planted in the fall. I put too much in a pot, and now my Heart's Delight tulips are being overshadowed by my late pastel tulips. But my other pot has only puschkinia (blooming now), daffodils (not up yet), and Christmas Dream tulips (foliage only so far) which will be followed by Asiatic Pixie lilies in late June-early July. I can't wait.
Congratulations!
revclaus--yes, that pot of 'apricot beauty' tulips and 'gypsy queen' really worked out well...of course, there are narcissus 'salome' in there too and they didn't bother to come up...
but, my point here is, that that pot was planted with cheapy close-out sale bulbs from Lowes and other expensive bulbs from VanEngelen and 'Brent and Becky' didn't do as well...wouldn't ya know! But maybe they are yet to come up...I hope...
I did put more pics of my 'pot plants' over on the photo forum...
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/499925/
the 'weber's parrot' tulips there are from Brent and Becky...weird bloom, but 'nice' in the right pot, I guess.
I keep checking my lily pots (overplanted with muscari and anemone blandas, etc., too), but I don't see much going on there either...maybe it's too early...
jdee--here is a pic of part of my 'bulb farm' from last winter...and if you are interested in planting bulbs in pots there are a couple of good threads here on DG with the "how to's"...
Keep us posted of your progress...please post some pics as soon as you have something...thanks. t.
This message was edited Apr 15, 2005 11:10 AM
my dw loves hyacinths but the deer keep getting to them outside ikn the ground. i would love to put the bulbs in containers but i don't know the first thing about how to go about this. i would like to know
1. what size container and how many bulbs go into it.
2. what kind of "dirt" do i use.
3. when can i plant them into the containers and
4. where do i put the contaiers after i put the bulbs into them, do they stay outside or maybe in the garage. if i put them indoors, how much water do i give them and how often. thanks for any help. i only grow some veggies into containers so flowers are something i don't try. thanks again.
one more thing. they the bulbs go 6 inches into the container just like in the ground.?
Hi, Herbie-- I know what you mean about the deer and other critters, that's why I started my bulbs in containers too.
You might want to look at another bulb thread we started in the fall http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/467009/
where we discussed bulb planting in pots...There are different methods to try out, but...
Here are some tips I've learned that may help you, too...
1. Big pots are better than little ones---about 10 or 12 inches deep and 8 to 10 inches around are my favorites. You can always go bigger.
2. I used Miracle Grow potting soil. The ones planted with Scotts brand were noticeably less vigorous.
3. I tried two or three different kinds of bulbs in the same pot. You can 'layer' them in with big bulbs at, say, 6 inches deep, and little bulbs like Muscari or Chinodoxa at 3 or 4 inches deep on top.
One combination you may want to try is 'Gypsy Queen' Hyacinth with 'Apricot Beauty' tulip and 'Salome' daffodils. You will need a big pot (about 12-14 inches across). These all are supposed to bloom together and will make a nice show. They did for me.
4. I planted them according to directions for depth--about 5 or 6 inches deep and watered them in. For instance, about 5 or 6 Hyacinth bulbs in a 10 or 12 inch pot (with some little bulbs, too.)
Then I covered all my pots with a clear plastic painters' tarp and set them in a protected spot outside for the 'cooling' period. If it was bitter cold, I insulated with straw bales and such (you may have to do this in upstate NY). I watered occasionally. Then when it warmed up and the sun came out more I moved them out into the sun (covered with tarp to keep excess moisture out). When bud tips appeared I uncovered and set them in full sun to bloom.
I did not 'force' these bulbs for bloom at Christmas. The method I used was more to protect the bulbs from critters and too much bad weather. This particular method wouldn't work if you wanted to have Hyacinths in January....If you wanted to do that, plant early in the fall and after the 14 week cooling period you would bring them into a warm sunny location and they would bloom maybe 6 weeks later... If you have an extra refrigerator that would be perfect to use for this.
I put the pots around my patio and enclosed porch to display them.
Good luck. Let's see some pictures of your project. I love Hyacinths too and will plant more this fall for sure. Especially the Gypsy Queen.
Thanks. t.
Herbie--here's another thread showing some bulbs in containers... http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/499925/
Hey Tabasco-
I think I bought that same "apricot" package from Lowes! Were they all in one big package? I planted mine in a container and the tulips came up first, then died back. So I had ugly foliage for a while and then the hyacinth came up. They are toast now too though. Never a peep from the narcissus here either. I think I am going to put those hyacinth bulbs in the ground now. Tulips aren't reliable to come back here- in fact I have never had a second season from any tulip! That said, they aren't getting planted. My big lesson with bulbs in containers was I will never mix them like that again. It was gorgeous in the picture but if it all doesn't come up at the same time then it kind of loses that effect! Ha! I had one pot of all red tulips that looked really great and another mixed pot that had staggering blooms. I just wasn't happy with it. But your pictures are great! Looks like you had lots of luck with it!
Jennifer- get some bulbs late next fall and stick them in the refridgerator (I have a small fridge in our garage just for this purpose... and my garden time beers of course :)). Keep 'em in there for 6-8 weeks- the longer the better. Don't freeze them though, just keep them in the bottom of the fridge. Oh, and not with any fruits if you put them in your regular kitchen fridge. Anyway, plant them (in containers or in the ground) in January/February. You will have blooms March/April. :) Spring flowering bulbs need a period of cold before blooming and often it doesn't get cold enough in Texas if they are in the ground. I refuse to dig and store much of anything so I just leave them and see what happens. My hyacinth and daffodils always come back but never tulips and rarely narcissus. Just my two cents!
Jamie
Yes, I think the 'apricot' package was from Lowes by Jackson and Perkins. I bought them at post season close out and the narcissus were mouldy, I think. Next time I am going to order "apricot beauty' and 'gypsy queen' separately from a different bulb supplier. Everybody loved the combination, and I was shocked they came up together! (Not all of my combos did, though.)
Yes, it's hard to get bulbs to bloom at the same time. I have taken some notes this year and hope to do better next year with the timing. It's kind of a fun challenge, and great if it works! Of course, the other thing you can do is plant them separately and then when they bloom, repot them together. That's what the floral designers do... a little 'cheating' seems to work for them.
I noticed Touch of Nature bulb supplier offers bulb combination packages and they said the different varieties were meant to bloom together, so I may try those next time.
http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/1594/
This is the Bulb Pot Collection page that Touch of Nature offered last year for some other ideas
http://www.touchofnature.com/fallcatalog/pot_collections.htm
Good luck with yours. t.
This message was edited Apr 20, 2005 7:10 PM
tabasco - thank you so very much for your advice. i am definately going to try the hyacinth with the tulips and daffodils. two more things, when do i plant these bulbs? do i start them when i see the bulbs selling in the store? and where to put them after i put them in the container. i have a deck outside my kitchen. should i put them under the deck. also, how about under the eves in the fronmt of my house or i have huge pine trees in theback. can i put them under the trees or just out in the open between bales of hay? thanks much. this really sounds interesting. i love to see all the different colors of the flowers in the spring and summer.
herbie--I put mine under the deck next to the house for protection, then covered them with clear plastic and checked on them from time to time--not letting them dry out but not letting them get too soaked from weather, either. In your climate, I think even if I put them under the deck I would put hay bales around them for insulation...and I would use big sized pots --14 inch across and 12 inches deep for starters...
I planted the bulbs in late October and November when they came into the stores (Home Depot).
Herbie---this is the first year I planted the bulbs in pots, so I am no expert for sure. I went by 'trial and error', so I wish you good luck! t.
these are some amaryllis we planted in pots...
tabasco - if you keep showing me these pictures i will end up planting everthing i can get my hands on. LOL thanks for everything. i hpe to post you some pictures if everything turns out ok.
Well, my "mish-mash" turned out to be absolutely gorgeous! I guess 200+ bulbs in one 20" pot isn't too much after all. I've gone through the Heart's Delight and now the grape hyacinth and late pastels are ready to take over.
Like you, tabasco, I use good potting soil (ProMix), add Osmocote and water crystals, planted late November (which I discovered is the secret to keeping the grape hyacinths from putting out foliage in the fall, only to be nicked by winter weather), made sure I watered during dry spells (but no more than once every three weeks -- we live in a very dry climate), and put the bulb pots up close to the building wall.
They have done fantastically well this year. All the pots where I just planted lilies are showing 2-4" growth right now. I've potted up spring bulbs and enough lilies to last through August. All I have to do is cut back what's finished blooming and let the next bunch take over.
And here's my "Christmas Dream" tulips, Pixie Asiatics to come in June.
rev--great picture--and I'd say with 200 bulbs in your container you're getting your money's worth out of the Promix! Thanks for the tip about the Muscari planting, too. Good to see such success with your 'Christmas Dream' tulips. I'll try them next year.
BTW, I like your strawberry pot in the background, too! t.
Thanks, tabasco! Good thing I took a photo then, we had a killing snowstorm, and the lobelia in the strawberry pot is toast! Oh well, lobelia is cheap at the garden center. LOL
