Planting Tulips in Containers

If Gophers and Deer Destroy Your Tulips...Try Planting Tulip Bulbs in Containers 

 

     After years of planting tulip bulbs in my sand hills landscape and garden, and never having any tulip blooms in the spring, thanks to the gophers and deer, I have finally come up with a solution to my tulip-eating critter problem.  I read an article about planting spring bulbs in containers, and thought I would give it a try.  It is really quite easy, and has proven quite successful.  The bulbs were not planted in the ground so the gophers could not get to them, and the pots are in front of the garage and on the porch, areas where the deer do not venture.



Pot of tulips beginning to bloom in late March

     I used three polypropylene self-watering containers with several drainage holes drilled low in the side of the pot.  Use a good potting soil mixed with some perlite for  drainage.  Tulip bulbs should be planted 6" to 7" below the soil surface, so I filled the container with soil to within 8" of the top.  Place the bulbs about 2" apart and cover them with soil to within 1" of the top of the container.  I planted about 18 bulbs in a 15" container, and 24 bulbs in an 18"container for maximum impact. Water the bulbs in thoroughly.

     I added a 3" layer of shredded leaves and paper to help retain moisture throughout the winter.  The bulbs should not sit  in overly wet soil all winter or they will rot.  I only watered the bulbs a couple of
times during the late fall and winter.

Bulbs covered with mulch, breaking the soil early in March

     When our winter temperatures dropped below 22 degrees, I pulled the pots into the garage to keep the bulbs from freezing, then pulled them back outside when temperatures were warmer.   After a few days of temperatures over 50 degrees the tulips began to poke out of the soil and by mid March the buds were starting to appear.

     I can finally enjoy a colorful display of tulips in the spring without worrying about the gophers and deer!  And the pots certainly brighten up the entry to our house and they can be moved wherever I want a colorful display,
as long as they are not where the deer browse.


For more complete information on planting bulbs in containers, go to Planting Tulips in Containers.