Marianne's Response

What to Do with Bulbs in Pots After They Bloom?

What do I do with bulbs in pots after they have bloomed?

Posted by Sue Booth on May 5, 2022

Marianne's Response

You have several options. If you do not need the pots for summer annuals just move them to a dry spot under the eaves of a roof so that the bulbs can ripen and go dormant over the summer. With any luck they will pop back up next spring in the same pots. No replanting required. You can also dig them up carefully so as not to disturb the yellowing foliage and replant the bulbs and greens into the ground in a spot where they will get good drainage but no extra water in the summer. This way they might just naturalize in your garden and return next spring. In both cases snip off the faded flower heads but leave the stems and leaves to ripen and turn yellow then brown. This is necessary for the bulb to make next year's flowers. Spring flowering bulbs like to be dry in the summer so don't water once the leaves turn brown and the bulbs are dormant.  Of course you can always just add them to your compost pile - sometimes they pop up and bloom in the compost the following spring. Gardening is full of surprises. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti