Creating a patio container display with bulbs
IF you haven’t got a lot of border room for more plants don’t fret, there are many summer bulb plants that will grow very happily in containers. Indeed some, like agapanthus, grow better in pots as they like having their roots slightly constricted.
Another occasion where bulb plants fare better in pots is if your soil is very heavy and clayish, and tends to hold onto water after rainfall. These conditions can cause bulbs to rot (and the soil is hard to work in any case) so to save heartache and money, try growing in pots instead.
Varieties for pots include agapanthus, lilies, tuberous begonias, Mirabilis jalapa, freesias, dahlias, cannas and funky Scadoxus, also known as fire lilies and blood flowers.
For the best results, create a freedraining potting mix of peat-free multipurpose compost mixed with sharp sand and a little grit. Add some slow-release fertiliser granules too. If you want to leave the bulbs in the pot for more than one season use John Innes No2 instead of multi-purpose compost. Most bulbs are planted at three times their own depth, and a bulb’s width apart, though Scadoxus should be set so the neck of the bulb is just peeking from the compost.
Leave a couple of inches between the rim of the pot and the top of the compost for watering, raise up on pot feet and set the planted containers somewhere warm and sheltered. Move them into position in May. Keep bulbs watered, but not waterlogged, and feed with liquid tomato fertiliser every fortnight through the growing season.