If it’s too cold to plant, start bulbs in pots

Late last fall a friend sent me several bags of daffodil and tulips bulbs. I was thrilled because he is a well-known bulb grower back East and has beautiful plants. The only problem was the ground was already frozen solid with little prospect of thawing enough to plant them.

Sound familiar? Whether you get a late gift or just didn’t get around to planting the bulbs before the ground froze, you are stuck. No worries – just plant them in pots and enjoy a movable feast of color in the spring.

Begin by selecting a pot that is large enough to hold the display. Massed plantings of several bulbs to a pot provide a better visual effect than a single bulb in a pot. You can even layer different bulbs in the same pot. Larger pots are also easier to keep watered. The pots should have broad bases and good drainage. The broad base will provide a counterbalance to the top-heavy plants when they are in bloom. I used several 8- to 16-inch black nursery pots for last fall’s project.

Fill the pot with good quality potting soil or screened compost so the bulbs will be at the proper planting depth. Place the bulbs with the root end down and the growing tip up and then fill the remainder of the pot to within an inch of the rim. The bulbs can be touching each other and the side of the pot. If you are going to layer a couple of types of bulbs in the pot arrange the largest bulbs as the first layer. Add enough soil to just cover the tips of the bulbs and add the next layer and then fill the pot to the rim.

Your pots of bulbs are now ready for chilling. Typically, potted bulbs must receive between 10 and 16 weeks of temperatures between 32 and 50 degrees, depending on the type of bulb, to grow roots and set flower buds. Below 32, the roots stop developing and above 50, the tops begin growing.

The pots can be stored in an unheated garage, a ventilated crawl space, the coolest part of your basement or a refrigerator. They can also be sunk into the garden or a cold frame. Throughout the chilling period, the pots should be kept damp but not soggy.

At the end of the chilling period, check the pots for roots growing through the drain hole and the emergence of growing shoots. Once these appear, bring the pots into a sunny place either in the house or outdoors and water them well. It will take about two to three weeks for the plants to grow and buds to appear.

Most of the bulbs with the exception of some tulips can be planted in the garden after they finish blooming. For some reason tulips don’t reliably re-bloom. Leave all the foliage intact and watered until it dies down in late June to build food reserves for next year. Then remove the bulbs and plant them where you want in the garden.