Category: Featured Articles

Tulips are some of the most colorful, versatile flowers and are a favorite of gardeners. These flowers come in dozens of varieties, require little maintenance compared to other plants, and bloom beautifully after you plant them. However, many people wonder if you can eave tulip bulbs in pots and keep them there or if they need to replant tulips in the ground eventually.

Tulip Bulbs Overview

If you’re considering planting tulip bulbs, you will want to know the ins and outs of these cup-shaped flowers before beginning your planting process. With a little knowledge, you can ensure that your flower bulbs stay healthy throughout the summer with great success. Read on to learn more about how to plant tulip bulbs.

How To Plant Tulip Bulbs: Frequently Asked Questions

Tulips are relatively easy to grow compared to other popular flower varieties. Tulips are perennials, but most grow them as annuals, only having them bloom once in the spring. They are originally from central Asia and were brought to Europe in the 1600s. They do best in well-drained soil as the bulb is susceptible to root rot.

It will take more care and attention to grow them in hotter climates as their natural habitat is mountainous areas with cooler temperatures throughout the growing spring season. Many gardeners plant them in the ground in the early fall for early spring bloomers. As tulips grow, they often will produce baby bulbs that grow off the mother bulb and will flower in a few years with care.

Can You Leave Tulip Bulbs in Pots After Flowering?

Many people decide to start off their bulbs in a pot before transferring them to the ground after they bloom. However, if you live in an apartment or a residence without a yard, you may not have any other choice but to keep your plants and flowers in pots.

Thankfully, your bulbs will be just fine to stay in your flower pot after they begin to bloom. Tulips are hardy plants that do not need too much space to take root after they grow. As a result, keeping your bulbs in a spacious pot will give them plenty of room to thrive after they begin flowering.

First Bloom

After you notice the first blooms in your pot, we recommend adding some new soil to the pot to provide additional nutrients and fertilizer for your flower. Many garden centers recommend adding bone meal or well-rotted organic matter, but this is not necessary. The new soil will keep the blooms looking healthy and bright throughout their lifespan.

What Type of Soil Should I Plant Tulips In?

While tulips can grow in nearly any type of soil, these flowers thrive in loose, crumbly soil that offers superior drainage. Unfortunately, bulbs often rot in soil that remains too damp, making it essential that the pot that you keep your tulips in has decent drainage holes to let out excess moisture after watering.

You can create an ideal soil mixture for your tulips by mixing traditional potting soil with sand. Sand will create optimal drainage within the soil, ensuring that the planting mix does not remain wet for too long after you water your tulips. Plant tulips en masse for a breathtaking display of color and texture.

What Size Container Can I Plant Tulips In?

If you plan to keep your tulips in a pot or container throughout their lifespan, you will need a large container that gives your flowers room to grow. How much space will usually be relative to the size and age of the bulb, but plan to look for containers with a minimum diameter of 18 inches and a minimum height of 15 inches.

Unfortunately, if your container is too small, your bulbs may not survive planting. Giving your tulips plenty of room will ensure that they thrive in your pot. 

What Time of Year Should I Plant Tulips? 

Late autumn is the best time of year to plant your new bulbs in pots. This means September for colder climates, October for transitional climates, and November or December for warmer climates.

Planting your bulbs in the fall will give your tulips plenty of time to flower once spring rolls around the following year. Freezing temperatures are not ideal for planting bulbs.

Potted Tulips and Pests

When you plant tulip bulbs, especially potted bulbs, the concern for pests is increased. Unfortunately, pests such as slugs can easily ruin your precious tulips.

Be sure to check for pests regularly and add horticultural grit to the topsoil if you find any. It’s also important to make sure that the soil for planted bulbs is free of weeds, as many pests will hide in them.

Storing Tulip Bulbs

Because they are spring flowers, in the winter you can store potted tulips in an unheated garage. If you have bulbs that you want to plant in the future, but it’s not time, place your bulbs in a paper bag and a cool place like the refrigerator. Be careful not to place them next to fruits and vegetables as they give off ethylene gas as they ripen.

Will Potted Bulbs Bloom Again? 

Unfortunately, potted tulips typically usually do not bloom again. At the end of the season, you should take your bulbs out of the pot and use them for multi-purpose compost, then buy tulip bulbs for the following year.

Alternatively, after the foliage has turned yellow, dry the best bulbs out and replant them next season. The next season you should plant them in the ground in a sunny spot if you want to have any chance of success.

Other Ways to Grow Tulips 

There are several methods of planting tulips that give them an excellent opportunity to grow and thrive all summer long. If you’d rather not plant your tulips in a pot, you can try one of these methods instead.

Planting Tulip Bulbs In the Ground

Growing tulips in the ground is typically a more reliable method than planting them in a pot. While tulips can survive in a pot with the right conditions and care, they tend to thrive more in the ground.

This is because the ground does not hold moisture as much as pots do, ensuring that the bulbs do not sit in excess water between waterings. Additionally, the ground gives the plant’s roots more space to expand, creating a firmer foundation for the elongated flowers.

Ground Tips

If you would like to plant your tulips in the ground, you should first plant bulbs in the fall to produce flower heads in early spring. Be sure to pick a spot in your yard or garden that has well-draining soil and gets at least partial sun.

You should plant the spring bulbs at least 4 to 5 inches apart from each other and position them around the same depth of between 5 and 7 inches deep. Alternatively, some gardeners choose to soak tulip bulbs before planting in the spring, but this is not necessary.

Tulips in Window Boxes

If you’d like to dress up your home or apartment’s curb appeal without planting the tulips in the ground, you can also grow them in a window box. To do so, simply use potted bulbs in the window box in direct sunlight with at least three to four inches of soil covering them.

We recommend using a mixture of tall and short tulips in several different colors to create a visual contrast within your window box. You can also throw some pansies, primroses, and daisies into the box.

Growing Tulips in Water

Did you know you can grow tulips in water instead of soil? You can simply plant your bulbs in a glass bowl or vase and half-fill with water, glass beads or stones, and a waterproof filler. Be sure only to add enough water to cover the bulb’s roots.

Using this method, you shouldn’t need to add any nutrients or fertilizer to the water, as the bulbs already contain all of the growing aids your tulips need. They will, however, need to be in a sunny position.

Do Tulips Multiply?

Yes, they do! Tulips are one of the easiest bulbs to multiply. You can do it by digging up the bulbs in late summer or early fall and separating them. As the tulips spread naturally out and gain energy, they produce smaller bulbs as an offshoot of the mother bulb. Tulips multiply through asexual reproduction.

This is true of wild tulips as well as non-hybrid varieties, with a few exceptions. Each bulb will usually have several “offsets,” or small bulblets, attached to it. These small bulbs are carefully pulled apart and replanted to grow more tulips. You can also divide larger clumps of tulips that have become overcrowded. Just dig up the entire clump, divide it into smaller sections, and replant.

Other Spring Bulbs to Plant in Containers

You can try planting any other flowers in pots or containers, but some strains do better than others in these confining vessels. We recommend planting shorter varieties, such as princess Irene, double exotic emperor, and miniature bright gem tulips in pots.

Princess Irene Tulips

Princess Irene tulips are beautiful tulip varieties that show off a mixture of pink and orange petals, creating an almost ombre effect with their coloring. These tulip varieties thrive in pots, and they can add visual interest to your indoor or outdoor space.

Orange Emperor

One of the favorites of the Netherlands, this species of tulip is an early bloomer with orange petals. They really have that wow factor that you are looking for, making their appearance in the spring a very welcomed site.

Golden Appledorn

This is one of the darwin hybrids that produce longer tulips of about two feet in height. They have planting depths of six to eight inches deep. These yellow-colored plants will bloom in mid-spring.

Double Tulip Exotic Emperor

Double exotic emperor tulips are a unique tulip variety that has a flatter, rounder base than traditional tulips. These tulips feature large, fluffy white blooms and green embellishments, giving them the royal appearance of an emperor.

Black Parrot

The tulip black parrot gets its name from its bold dark color. Starting off as green shoots, you can mix them with double early to make for a beautiful bouquet.

Miniature Tulip Bright Gem

Bright gem tulips are typically yellow in color and feature a star-shaped, rounded petal design. These charming tulips will add a pop of color to your window box or pot. 

So yes, you can leave tulip bulbs in pots after they flower! When spring arrives, just dig out any remaining roots, cut off the old stems close to the garden soil level, and put the fresh potting mix into your container before re-planting with new tulips (or other spring flowers). Subscribe to Amaral Farms today for seasonal gardening expert tips like these delivered straight to your inbox each month!

Amaryllis are large, trumpet-shaped flowers that bring a punch of color to any home or garden. Gardeners typically start with amaryllis bulbs, which look similar to an onion. These dormant bulbs will then sprout long, thin leaves and the iconic blooms. Amaryllis flowers come in eye-catching colors, can be over twelve inches wide, and can last for over seven weeks! But after that first flower starts to fade, many will ask: what do you do with amaryllis after they bloom?

How Long Do Amaryllis Blooms Last

In optimum growing conditions, the amaryllis flower can endure for two to three weeks per stem. They can bloom for up to many weeks if they are grown in a cool room temperature, out of direct sunshine, and with at least one weekly watering when in active growth. Some Amaryllis stems can bloom for up to three weeks if they are utilized as cut flowers, selected at the point of ripe bud development, and maintained in the vase.

The Basics of Re-Blooming an Amaryllis bulb

Amaryllis thrives in an environment with a nine-month wet period and a three-month dry period. By mimicking this cycle, you can encourage your plant to re-bloom after a forced dry or dormant period. Removing all foliage before the dormant period allows the bulb to retain vital nutrients and energy stores. Most importantly for all plants, provide your amaryllis with all the water and fertilizer it needs while it is growing. If you take your amaryllis indoors to store them, make sure you store the dormant bulb in a cool dry place. Or you can put them in your fridge to trigger dormancy, preparing them for the next growing season. This will keep the bare bulbs from attempting to regrow.

When to Cut Back Amaryllis Leaves

Once your faded flowers begin to whither, it is best to cut off your amaryllis flowers after they bloom before they start to form seeds. Creating seeds pulls vital nutrients and energy away from the rest of the plant. Keeping your amaryllis bulb healthy and full of available energy is the best way to promote re-flowering.

As the flower stalk dries out and starts to turn brown, cut back amaryllis leaves down within an inch of the bulb. Green leaves and stems should be left to continue photosynthesis, the process in which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into energy utilizing sunlight. By allowing photosynthesis to continue, your plant will build stores of nutrients and energy needed for the next re-blooming period.

Replanting Your Amaryllis Bulbs

If your amaryllis needs to be replanted, the best time to do so is when it is not in bloom. The plants prefer to be in a small pot with very little extra room (“pot-bound”). The pot should only be approximately one inch wider than the amaryllis bulb, but deep enough for the roots to have space to grow.

Loosely add a well-draining soil below and around your bulb, with one-third of the bulb remaining visible. Ideally, the top of the bulb should be above the edge of your container. Your pot must have drainage holes on the bottom to prevent mold and root rot.

Continuous Blooming

Unlike other bulb species, such as hyacinth and tulip, amaryllis bulbs do not require a chilling or dormant period to bloom. Some gardeners do this to time their next amaryllis blooming with Christmas. With the right environment and care, your plant can continuously re-bloom after it stores enough nutrients and creates enough energy.

In areas where frost is not an issue, amaryllis can be grown outdoors year-round. Otherwise, they will need to be inside during the cold months and inside or outside during the warm months. Keeping your amaryllis in full sun (or as much sun as possible) will allow it to synthesize the energy needed to bloom again as soon as possible.

Forced Dormancy

If you live in an area with freezing winter temperatures, or would just like to control when your amaryllis blooms, you can force your plant into a dormant period. During the dormant period, your plant remains alive but it is using very little energy and nutrients. By saving energy, the bulb will be ready to grow when the appropriate conditions are met (warm and sunny).

Once your blooms have died and been trimmed off, bring your plant inside to a dark, dry location, like a closet or basement. Ideally, the temperature would be between 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the stems and leaves dry out and die off naturally before trimming down to the bulb. You can also remove the bulb from the soil to save space and allow it to rest as-is during this period.

Do not water or fertilize during dormancy, but check the amaryllis periodically for mold or other issues. After two to three months, you can move your plant to a sunny location and begin watering and fertilizing as normal. This forced dormancy will allow you to try to schedule your blooms around certain times of year or holidays.

The Holiday Amaryllis

The amaryllis has become a holiday staple in many homes, with pre-planted bulbs in fresh potting soil, and in decorative pots planters, they are available for purchase a couple of months before the winter holiday season. If you would like to have your existing plant bloom for the holidays, stop fertilizing the plant in August.

In September, move your amaryllis into its dormant location and stop watering. Cut back the foliage down to the bulb as it starts to dry out. Follow the dormancy procedures until early November, when you can put your bulb back into a warm weather with sunlight and water as normal. Keep the potting soil barely moist so as not to damage the bulbs.

In the Garden

If you live in hardiness zones 8-10 (frost-free), your amaryllis bulbs can be planted outdoors directly in your garden. Garden amaryllis bloom once in spring and will go dormant over winter if it is cool enough. In a warm enough location, it is possible for the plants to re-bloom more times throughout the year.

Like with potted amaryllis, water when needed. Fertilizer is only needed before the plant putting up its flower stalk during the growth period. Trim off leaves and stems as they begin to turn yellow and die off.

Picking Your Amaryllis

Amaryllis has many varieties that differ in flower color and size. You can pick the best one for your needs or preferences. Here are a few of our favorites:

• “Cherry Nymph” will produce multiple smaller blooms with bright red flowers on two stalks 
• “Clown” has eight-inch wide blooms of striped red and white petals
• “Evergreen” is a vibrant, light-green hue that can add a tropical feel to your home
• “Rilona” has subtle, apricot orange petals, an unusual color for amaryllis
• “Ferrari Amaryllis” will wow everyone with vibrant red blooms that are over twelve inches wide 
• “Dancing Queen” a great variety for zones 8-10, a great fit for Florida it has beautiful white & red striped large flower pedals

Once you have your amaryllis bulb and the right pot for it, place the plant in a sunny spot that is between 65 and 75 degrees.

Why Do I See Waxed Amaryllis Bulbs

Waxing amaryllis bulbs is just another way for growers and marketers of bulbed flowers to sell these beauties. Without pots they are much lighter and easier to pack. Selling them individually also keeps the cost down, as amaryllis plants can get very expensive compared to other flowering bulbs. Your waxed amaryllis bulbs have everything they need already in the bulb to fully flower. No ruther watering or fertilizer is needed. Just make sure they get some sun light and if they do get a bit wilty simply spray a bit of water on them.

Optimal Amaryllis Care

Once you have your amaryllis bulb and the right pot for it, place the plant in a well-lit area that is between 65 and 75 degrees. If your flower stalks grow too large and start to become floppy, you can stake them or simply cut back the leaves.

Outdoors, your amaryllis can handle partial shade, indirect sun to full sun. Once blooms are present, the plant prefers some shade to allow the flowers to stay bright as long as possible. Indoors, it is best to place your bulbs in a sunny window, southern exposure being ideal, during the growth period.

After you first plant your bulb, water sparingly until you see a couple of inches of growth out of the top, then water frequently. The amaryllis bulb will contain everything the plant needs nutrient-wise for the first flowers, but when attempting to get your plant to re-bloom, use a phosphorus-rich fertilizer to rebuild nutrient stores.

For the best flowers, turn your pot every couple of days as the flower stalk is growing. This will keep the stalk growing straight for the tallest blooms. If the bud is too heavy, a support stake can help keep it upright. Once the flower starts to open, keep the plant out of direct sunlight to prolong its life of the flower. Having a plan on what to do with your amaryllis after they bloom is a necessary step to ensuring you have beautiful flowers year after year.

By giving your plant the best opportunity to store nutrients and energy throughout the year, your amaryllis will continue to provide you with beautiful blooms.