How to Layer Spring Bulbs & Keep Your Pots Looking Beautiful #gardeningtips #autumnplanting #gordale, by Gordale Nurseries on YouTube. 1 min 2 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 2 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Pick a deep pot with drainage holes. Cover the holes with broken crocks or a layer of grit so water can escape and the bulbs do not rot.
Fill the bottom third with compost. Place the tallest bulbs, such as daffodils or tulips, pointed end up, spaced about their own width apart.
Add compost to cover the tall bulbs by about twice their height. Press it down gently so the next layer sits level.
Set medium bulbs like hyacinths or smaller tulips on top, again pointed end up. Cover them with compost to the same rule.
Finish with the smallest bulbs, such as crocus, muscari or snowdrops, near the surface. Cover with a final layer of compost, leaving a 2 cm gap below the rim.
Water well until it runs out of the drainage holes. Put the pot somewhere cool and sheltered, and keep the compost slightly moist through winter.
For instant colour, soak a piece of floral oasis, cut it to fit the pot rim and press it on top. Push cut flower stems into it.
Top up the oasis with water every few days. Remove the flowers once the bulbs push through, then let the foliage die back naturally.
Tips and common mistakes
Plant bulbs pointed end up and at roughly twice their own height in depth, or they may not flower.
Never let the pot sit in a saucer of water over winter, as waterlogged bulbs rot.
Keep the oasis small and shallow so it does not smother the bulbs growing underneath.
Leave bulb foliage in place for about six weeks after flowering so the bulbs store energy for next year.
Questions
Can I plant different bulbs in the same pot?
Yes. Layering tall bulbs deepest and small ones near the top lets them all grow and flower in the same space, usually in succession.
When should I plant spring bulbs in pots?
Plant them in autumn, from September to November, so they have weeks of cool weather to root before spring.
Will the cut flowers stop the bulbs growing?
No, as long as the oasis layer is thin and you keep it watered. Take the flowers out once green shoots appear.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
