How to Plant Spring Bulbs in Containers

Container planting of Spring bulbs brings colour, life & beautiful scents to your patio when so little else is in flower. If you have little gardening space, there is always room to squeeze in some containers, decorating your patio, porch or the areas of the garden you are likely to see or frequent in Spring. 

Choosing a suitable container for Spring Bulbs

You can grow almost any Spring bulb in containers, mixing different varieties of bulbs together will give lovely colour combinations. Growing in containers is quite similar to growing bulbs in the ground. First, you will need to choose a style of container, choose wisely as it will sit in your garden for years so you need to love it. At The Pavilion you can choose from a range of Wicker Pots, Terracotta / Clay Pots or we also have fabulous eco friendly pots called Capi Pots.

When you decide on your style, just double check that the container has drainage holes at the bottom. These holes will prevent the pot from becoming water logged as bulbs will rot if they are sitting in water for too long.

         

You will also need to consider the size of the pot you want. If you need it to sit on a step or a confined space, measure the area to ensure the pot is the correct size. Furthermore, if you are going to place the pot in an area that is exposed, just ensure you buy a shape or size of pot that is unlikely to topple over easily. 

How to Plant Spring Bulbs

The first thing to do is place a layer of stones at the bottom of the pot, this is to aid drainage and protect the pot from becoming water logged.

Half fill the pot with a multi purpose compost and break up all the lumps. You will plant your bulbs similar as you would in the ground, bigger bulbs such as daffodils and tulips would be 6 or 7 inches deep but smaller bulbs such as crocus would be planted 4 or 5 inches deep in the soil.  The bulbs will have a pointed side, this should be planted facing upwards and the rounded side facing downwards. You can position the bulbs quite close together, about 2 inches apart. Bulbs will look much more impressive when they flower in Spring if they are planted densely rather than sparsely. Now, you will add some more compost until the pot is almost filled. 

Water the pot well after planting, once it is well drained and not water logged, your bulbs will develop healthy habits for Spring!

As soon as the weather starts to get warmer, you will begin to see the green shoots appear before a lovely display of flowers emerges!

A good idea is to plant some pansies or cyclamen on top so your pots will look bright and colourful right through Winter to Spring.

Bulb Combinations ideas for Spring Containers

       

   

For more information on all your gardening queries you can visit our Garden Centre in Cork or call 021 4888134.