How To Plant Tulips In A Container

Vast beds of bright tulips might look fabulous in your yard, but what if you don't have a yard? What if you live in an apartment or condominium? Does that mean that you can't enjoy the early spring showing of tulips? Of course not. You just have to prepare a little differently than the gardener with lots of space does.

First, choose a variety of tulip which does well in containers. While tulips in general are a pretty hardy bunch, they do vary in size and temperament. For example, unless you're planting your tulips in a bathtub, you probably want to avoid the giant Dutch hybrids. They will overwhelm most any container you choose for them, and you don't want your tulips to end up looking top heavy.

Instead, choose a variety of tulip which will fit well with the size and shape of your container. If you're using a ten or twelve inch pot, choose a variety which grows to a height of 12 to 14 inches, such as a Greigii or Fosteriana Hybrid. For smaller pots, choose a Kaufmanniana Hybrid, which will typically grow to no more than ten inches tall.

Tulips dislike being waterlogged, so make sure you choose a pot with adequate drainage holes. Fill the bottom with an inch or so of gravel or small stones, then fill to about the halfway point with good quality potting soil developed especially for bulbs. For additional drainage, you can add a layer of sand at this point, but it's not required.

Place your tulip bulbs in the pot with the pointed end up. Since tulip bulbs produce only a single stalk, you don't need to worry that you are planting them too close together. Tulips look best in bunches of five to ten flowers. After you've placed your bulbs, cover them with more potting soil and leave them to overwinter in a cool place. Tulips need six to eight weeks of temperatures averaging less than 50 degrees.

If you've kept your bulbs refrigerated for the winter, you can even plant them in late winter and have indoor blooms long before the outdoor flowers are showing growth. This is known as forcing, and is a common practice among florists. Forcing is what allows us to buy pots of tulips and lilies long before Easter most years. Unfortunately, bulbs which are forced will not typically bloom again.

One great advantage of growing tulips in containers is that you can move them. Tulips prefer bright sun, so if you have a sunny windowsill or balcony, this is the best place to put them. If you really want them to brighten up that dark corner of your bedroom, though, you can put them their when they've had their dose of sunlight. The possibilities are limitless!