Growing flower bulbs in pots

Dear readers,

I have the honor to address you again, as Carlos is in the US, taking part at the National Daffodil Convention in Reno, Nevada. Today I would like to write about growing flower bulbs in pots, since more and more of you have asked about it recently. Before I go into the subject, how has this spring been for you so far? Here in North Holland province we have had no rain in the past 6 weeks or so, so the growers have started to water their fields:Okay, back to flower bulbs grown in pots. Put it this way, you can grow almost any flower bulbs in pots, given that the right pot size is considered. Take Dahlias for example, very often you have asked us “Which varieties grow well in pots?”, to which the general answer is “the shorter ones”. While this is true, you can actually grow even the very loved ‘Cafe au Lait’ in pots as well, if the pot she grows in is considerably wide and tall, let’s say 40 cm wide and 40 cm tall, with a capacity of perhaps 60 liters. This is a pretty big pot, isn’t it?

In case we talk about the more regular pot sizes, let’s say 10 to 15 litres, then only the very small Dahlias are suitable, varieties like ‘Berliner Kleene’ or ‘Dracula’, which usually reach 30 cm in height. Even for these very small Dahlias, the diameter of the pot has to be at least 30 cm wide, if not wider:Since the flower bulb plants grown in containers have limited space, please take the most nutritious soil you can find. To make sure my little Dahlias will do well this summer, I have added some bone meal:Then I have carefully placed one tuber in the middle of each pot. Please do not plant Dahlias too deep, just below the soil surface is fine:At the end, water them plenty until the water drips out of the pots and place the pots in any sunny place, away from strong winds. In case it is still cold outside, or God forbid, some morning frost still occurs, please bring your pots inside the house, in a well lit place. If you have a greenhouse, it would be the perfect place!

Other summer flowering bulbs, like Nerine or Zantedeschia, grow very well in pots too, if not better than in the open garden. I happen to like Zantedeschia ‘Valentine’ quite a lot, because of her white dots on dark green leaves and the very dark purple flowers, that bloom weeks long in August and September:Nerine, on the other hand, bloom beautifully later in the year, at times even until December. Since they like to be rather crowded, growing her in pots is perfect. One of my favorites is called ‘Vesta’, with very curly petals. She has such delicate flowers, in the most beautiful baby pink:After I have finished planting these flower bulbs in pots, I have made some plans of what to plant in the open ground in the following weeks. I have chosen the Dahlia mix ‘Bee Friendly’, because they attract so many insects in the summer months and come in the most amazing colors:I also like the newer Dahlia ‘Blue Bayou’, simply because lavender or light purple is my favorite color:And to top it off, I have to plant Gladiolus callianthus, since her scent is unbeatable in the summer months. She looks best in combinations with darker backgrounds, maybe a towards a dark wall, or why not, amongst plants with dark green leaves:Hah, and I thought I can only write about flower bulbs grown in pots today! Sorry I digressed! I would like to give a couple of recommendations when it comes to growing flowers bulbs in pots:

1. Besides choosing the right pot size for each flower bulb plant, please commit to the fact that you will have to water these plants more often, usually every single day;

2. Choose the most nutritious soil, if you want your flower bulb plants to be lush throughout the season;

3. Prepare to remove the spent flowers regularly, so that your plants keep forming new blooms (especially important for Dahlias);

4. In case you plant early (like me this week), make sure your pots are protected from frost and strong winds;

5. If your containers overwinter outside (let’s say you grow lilies or daffodils in pots) and it gets pretty cold (below -10 C), I advise you to bring the pots in a garage. Even if most flower bulbs are hardy, once the soil they grow in is frozen to the core, some bulbs might just die. Yes, even tulips, lilies or daffodils, so better be safe than sorry!

On this note, I believe growing flower bulbs in pots is easy, as long as you commit to the extra work. In case containers are what you prefer, or if this is your only option (not everyone has a garden unfortunately), please know that this is possible! In case you are not sure what to choose from our assortment, please write us an email and we will give you some recommendations.

I think it is time to stop now and go water my garden again, there is still no rain today. We really hope some is coming soon, nature needs it.

Until the next time,

Vlad Hempel

p.s. for the ones of you who prefer something more extravagant, please take a look at Dahlia ‘Octopus Sparkle’, not only her warm colors are nice, but her flower shape is just outrageous:P.S. 2: Are you curious what happened in Reno, Nevada this week? Here are some people checking on the daffodils put up for various ribbons:And one of the highlights… ;) which Carlos will tell you more about next week!