Can you leave bulbs in containers? Tulips, Alliums, Daffodils?

[theclockticksslowly]

I’ve made a big effort this year to brighten up a rather dreary patio with lots of containers of various spring bulbs. I’ve enjoyed tulips, crocus, daffodils and will soon have lots of different alliums blooming.

My question is do I have to dig up the bulbs, store and replant in the autumn? Or can they just be left as they are in the container?

If they can be left, is there anything I should do to encourage them to grow next year?

Thanks!

I’d leave them. Alliums don’t like to be moved and crocus and daffodil are generally very reliable when it comes to flowering year on year.

I’ve never had problems with tulips in pots either. If anything they seem a lot more reliable than the ones planted directly in my garden soil.

You could feed them some tomato fertiliser every week until the foliage dies down and do the same thing when the first shoots appear next year.

Dead head, and a sprinkling of bone meal should see them bloom again next year. They’ll be fine for a couple of years, but will then need to be divided, especially the daffs. Then you’ll have even more pots of bulbs to enjoy in the spring!

He’s, they’ll be fine

Yes, not He’s

Great! Thanks for all the tips and advice. It’s been lovely watching them all grow and bloom - I can’t wait until next spring now!

I guess I wait until the foliage is dead and just cut all that off?

Watching with interest. There are beautiful, very unusual daffodils.blooming in huge concrete pots at my Mums house, she died recently and the house will be going on the market. We had someone round power washing and tidying up the garden and he advised that when they've died off, I should be removing the bulbs (to take home and replant in my garden) I'm not very sure when is the best time to do this.....

Bulbs need to be treated well after flowering. Removing the flowerhead ensures the plant does not use up all its energy setting seed. The leaves will channel energy to the bulb to produce flowers next year so leave them to die down naturally ideally in a sunny spot. If you foliar feed (water the leaves with fertilizer) you will give an extra boost to the plant.
You can leave in the same container until overcrowded (fertilising while growing) but I usually replant spent bulbs in the garden to die back and naturalise. In the autumn I plant fresh stock into my pots simply because they give the best results.

Today, I have binned all of the narcissus, crocuses and daffodils I had in pots (I bought over 200 of them!). I find they never come back as well, and for the sake of a few quid, I'd rather replace them each year.

Alliums, which I have in one of the flower beds, come back brilliantly.