Bulb Care

Spring flowering bulbs are beautiful in the garden but what do you do with them once they’ve finished flowering? It’s important to keep caring for your bulbs after flowering to ensure good flowering the following year.

What to do

• Remove dead flowers from bulbs but do not remove the leaves until they die down. The period after the end of flowering is when the bulb replenishes its reserves and sets the buds for the following year’s flowering.
• Fertilise after flowering and remove the leaves once they’ve turned brown.
• Some bulbs are best treated as annuals because they originate from climates that are wet in winter and dry in summer, providing a dry “rest period”. So replant fresh bulbs of these varieties each year.
• Alternatively, bulbs can be lifted and dried to be replanted the following year, particularly in areas warmer than Melbourne. These bulbs include: tulips, ranunculus, anemones, hyacinths and Dutch iris.
• Store bulbs in a cool area under the house, not in the shed where they’ll cook. Make sure the bulbs are out of reach of rats.

Via: ehow

How to Grow Tulips in Containers

The tulip is a favorite spring flower, but did you know you could grow tulips indoors anytime of the year? Growing tulips in containers is just as easy, maybe even easier than sowing them on the ground. You could be anywhere in the world, during any season of the year, and all you need is a bunch of dormant tulip bulbs, your favorite decorative flowerpots and some space in a refrigerator. Grow your tulips in containers indoors by following these simple steps.

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Bunch of tulip bulbs
• Decorative flowerpots
• Potting soil
• Refrigerator space
• Water

1. Step1Select your favorite decorative flowerpots and containers and fill halfway with potting soil.
2. Step2  Arrange bulbs in potting soil.Choose the best tulip bulbs (discard bulbs that are soft, heavily blemished or rotting) and position them side by side on the potting soil.
3. Step3  Cover with soil and water thoroughly.Cover the bulbs with potting soil and water thoroughly, letting excess water drain out.
4. Step4  Refrigerate containers.Refrigerate flowerpots for 8 to 12 weeks.
5. Step5Move pots to bright area.Take flowerpots out of refrigeration and place in a bright area.
6. Step6Water when the first leaves start to sprout, and keep soil evenly moist.
7. Step7Wait for flowers to bloom.

Wait for the flowers to bloom, and enjoy!