Planting tulip bulbs in pots — the lasagne method
A pot of tulips by the front door is the easiest spring joy you can plant. With the lasagne method one pot flowers for weeks.
2 min read
Choose the pot and soil
Use a pot at least 25-30 cm across with good drainage holes — winter rain must escape or the bulbs rot. Add a layer of crocks or clay pebbles at the bottom and use ordinary potting compost, ideally mixed with a little grit. Frost-proof pots are a must in Nordic winters.
The lasagne method: bulbs in layers
Plant in two or three layers: the latest-flowering, largest bulbs deepest (12-15 cm), a middle layer, and the earliest on top (8-10 cm). Bulbs can sit close — 3-5 cm apart — as long as they don't touch. Shoots find their way around the layer above. The result: one pot flowering from April to late May. Combine, say, early tulips on top with late or double tulips deepest.
- Early bulbs — top8–10 cm
- Middle layer
- Late, large bulbs — deepest12–15 cm
- Crocks or clay pebblesDrainage at the bottom
One pot — flowers from April to late May.
Best varieties for pots
Pick compact varieties with sturdy, wind-proof stems — typically 30–45 cm tall. Early and double tulips are obvious choices. Every bulb tagged “Perfect for pots” is picked for pots and window boxes.
Winter and spring
Stand the pot in shelter against a wall, raised on feet so water drains. In hard frost spells wrap the pot in hessian or bubble wrap — the bulbs handle frost, but the root ball shouldn't freeze solid for long periods. Water lightly in dry spells from March, then enjoy the show.
- Sheltered by a wall
- Raised on feetSo water can drain away.
- Hessian or bubble wrapOnly in hard, lasting frost.
Read next
- Naturalising bulbs: plant once, flower every yearSpecies tulips and other naturalising bulbs return year after year and spread through grass and borders. How to succeed with the wilder garden.
- Perennial tulips: the ones that come back every yearWhy do so many tulips flower only once? See which tulips come back every year, and how to plant and care for them so they flower year after year.
- Tulip types explained: find the right tulipSingle, double, fringed, lily-flowered or species? An overview of the tulip types — flowering time, height and what each one does best.