How to Plant Spring Bulbs in Pots

Terracotta plant pots ready for planting

Planting bulbs in pots is one of the most rewarding jobs of the autumn. It takes an hour on a grey October afternoon, needs no garden at all, just a doorstep, terrace or windowsill, and by late winter and spring it repays you with colour, scent and the first signs of the new year. A well-planned pot can flower from February right through to May.

This guide covers choosing good bulbs, when to plant them, choosing pots and compost, how deep and close to plant, the layered lasagne method, combinations that work well, how to care for pots over winter, protecting them from squirrels and slugs, what to do after flowering and how to grow bulbs indoors for winter.

Choosing good bulbs

Buy bulbs from late summer onwards, while the choice is best. Look for bulbs that are:

Firm, like a fresh onion, not soft or shrivelled.
Free of mould, rot or damage.
A good size for the variety. Bigger bulbs generally produce better flowers.

Plant them as soon as you can after buying, or store them somewhere cool, dry and airy until planting time.

When to plant

Daffodils and narcissi: September to October. They start growing roots early.
Crocus, muscari (grape hyacinths), scilla, iris reticulata and chionodoxa: September to October.
Alliums: September to October.
Hyacinths: September to October outdoors.
Tulips: late October to November. Planting tulips later, once the soil has cooled, helps avoid tulip fire, a fungal disease that distorts and spots leaves and flowers.

Choosing the right pot

Drainage is essential. Every pot must have a drainage hole. Bulbs sitting in wet compost over winter will rot.
Depth matters. Tulips and daffodils need pots at least 30cm deep. Small bulbs like crocus and muscari can go in shallower pots.
Frost resistance. Choose pots labelled frost-resistant or frost-proof if they will stay outside all winter.
Material. Terracotta looks beautiful and lets roots breathe. Glazed pots hold moisture longer. Our Hoff terracotta pot is a stackable, classic shape. For smaller bulbs on a windowsill or doorstep, the Brooke Rustic Glazed Pot comes in two sizes, in Blush and Chocolate.

Compost

Use a good multipurpose compost, ideally mixed with some horticultural grit, around a quarter grit to three quarters compost, to improve drainage. A soil-based compost gives extra weight, which helps stop tall tulips blowing over in pots.

How deep and how close?

A simple rule: plant bulbs at a depth of two to three times their own height, with the pointed end facing up. A 5cm tulip bulb goes around 10 to 15cm deep.

In pots, you can plant bulbs much closer together than in the ground, almost but not quite touching. This gives a full, generous display. Bulbs that touch can spread rot from one to another, so leave a small gap.

Planting a single variety

Put a layer of broken crocks or gravel in the bottom for drainage.
Fill with compost to the right depth for your bulbs.
Set the bulbs on the compost, pointed end up, close together.
Cover with compost, leaving a few centimetres at the top for watering.
Finish with a layer of grit, which looks neat and deters slugs.
Water well, and label the pot.

The lasagne method

Layering bulbs at different depths in the same pot gives a long succession of flowers, from late winter right through to late spring. It is called the lasagne method because the bulbs are layered like pasta.

Add drainage material and a layer of compost.
Bottom layer: the largest, latest-flowering bulbs, such as tulips or alliums, at around 20 to 25cm deep.
Cover with compost.
Middle layer: mid-season bulbs, such as daffodils or hyacinths.
Cover with compost.
Top layer: the smallest, earliest bulbs, such as crocus, muscari or iris reticulata, around 5 to 8cm deep.
Finish with compost and a layer of grit.

The shoots of the lower bulbs find their way around those above. The early bulbs flower first in late winter, the daffodils follow, and the tulips finish the show in late spring.

Combinations that work

Purple and gold: deep purple tulips, golden daffodils and blue muscari.
Cream and white: white tulips, cream narcissi and white crocus, elegant against stone.
Warm and fiery: orange and red tulips above deep blue muscari.
Scented: hyacinths above early crocus, by the front door.

Winter care

Water sparingly. Water well after planting, then only occasionally over winter, when the compost is dry a few centimetres down. Pots under eaves or against walls may get little rain.
Stand pots on feet, so water drains freely and pots don't freeze to the ground.
In very hard frosts, move pots against a sheltered wall or wrap them in hessian or fleece.
Water more once shoots appear in late winter and spring.

Protecting bulbs

Squirrels and mice

Squirrels love digging up freshly planted bulbs, especially tulips and crocus. Lay chicken wire or a piece of mesh over the top of the pot, under a layer of grit, until shoots appear.

Slugs and snails

Fresh spring shoots are a favourite of slugs and snails. Grit on the surface helps. A band of wool around the pot is an effective chemical-free barrier, as slugs dislike crossing it. Our Wool Pot Scarf is a 5m roll of 100% British wool, made for wrapping around pots.

After flowering

Deadhead the flowers as they fade, so the bulb doesn't waste energy on seed.
Leave the leaves to die back naturally for six weeks or so. They feed the bulb for next year.
Feed with a liquid tomato feed every couple of weeks while the leaves are green.

Daffodils and many small bulbs flower happily again the following year, especially if moved into the garden. Many tulips are less reliable in their second year in pots, so plant them out in the garden and treat pot tulips as an annual pleasure.

Growing bulbs indoors for winter

Forcing bulbs to flower early indoors brings colour and scent into the house in the darkest months.

Hyacinths: buy "prepared" bulbs, specially treated to flower early. For Christmas flowers, plant them in September, then keep them somewhere cool and dark for around ten weeks, until the shoots are a few centimetres tall, before bringing them into the light.
Paperwhite narcissi: need no cold period. Plant them in pots or in a bowl of pebbles and water, and they flower in around six to eight weeks, with a powerful scent.
Amaryllis: large, dramatic bulbs that flower roughly six to ten weeks after planting.

Frequently asked questions

Can I plant bulbs in pots in December?

Tulips can still be planted in December. Other bulbs may flower later and smaller, but it is usually worth planting them rather than letting them go to waste.