You can do either. Keep them in the container for the summer and plant them in the fall (if you remember). I usually plant mine in the garden so I don’t have to worry about planting them in the fall. Be sure to cut off the dead flower head and let the foliage keep growing until it dies back naturally.

HI
You are keeping hyacinths and tulips in too warm temperatures. To prolong their blooming time keep them in cool temperatures around 50’sF and away from direct sun but bright indirect light. Foliage are the leaves and they should keep growing so that they can feed the bulbs for next year. It not a good idea to plant them while they are in bloom, wait until they are done blooming and then plant the pot of “leaves in the ground”.

HI Kevin
Yes, tulips can be left in the ground year round. They are hardy and will withstand freezing temperatures as long as they are planted in the ground. They need a cold dormant period in order to bloom the next season. Once the tulips are done blooming, let the foliage grow and eventually die back. You can then plant them in the ground or store the bulbs in a cool place and plant them in the fall. Another option (I have tried )is as soon as the soil can be worked and the tulips are finished blooming, plant the contents of the pot in the ground and let the foliage die back outside. That way, you won’t have to store the bulbs and try to remember to plant them in the fall.

HI Ray
Wait till the weather warms up. Once you see shoots growing then start watering.

Hi Ray
Sorry I didn’t realize it was on the balcony. Since the container is outdoors, you can add some mulch (straw, pine boughs, wood chips) on top on the container for more insulation. Skip the plastic-that won’t do. The container needs to breathe and plastic will trap hot air inside when the sun hits it, which can harm the bulbs. Fertilize when you are planting the bulbs by adding a slow-release fertilizer (too late now)to the soil and after the bulbs are done blooming. A hardy lily should be fine. It will bloom later in the season-usually around June.

I just planted tulip bulbs in a plastic pot with Miracle Gro soil & watered it thoroughly. As per your advise above, I have insulated the pot with newspaper & bubble-wrapped the pot. Do I need to cover the whole pot, top & all? Or can I leave the top open? Temps currently are at -10C, with snow flurries off & on. The pot will be on my north-facing balcony with hostas & hydrangea similarly protected- pls do let me know what else I should do to over-winter the pots. Thanks!

Hi Ray
I would place or cover the whole pot in a plastic bag. This will help keep the moisture in and excessive moisture out. Check periodically to make sure that it doesn’t get too wet and moldy. You can also take the potted bulbs and store them inside a cooler, styrofoam box or refrigerator (without ripe fruit). You want to keep your bulbs just above freezing (35-40F). After 12 weeks, remove the bulbs from cold storage-they should have 1-2 inches of growth on them and bring them indoors to a cool room out of direct light for a week. After a week, place your pot in direct sun in a warm room and watch the shoots turn green.

Hi Ray
You can plant them in pots in Miracle grow mix and place them in a styrofoam cooler when temperatures start to fall below 32F to protect them from freezing. In extreme cold you may have to cover the cooler as well. Bulbs need temperatures of 35-40F for 8-12 wks to develop a good root system.

HI Ray,
I’m afraid there won’t be any flowers next spring. It sound as if the tulips did not get enough growth to replenish the bulb. It’s all about rebuuilding the bulb for the next season. Forced bulbs have a difficult time reblooming because they don’t build up enough nutrients to rebuild the bulb; that’s why its recommended that you plant the bulbs outdoors after growing in a pot, where there’s a better chance for optimal growth. Plant it in soil outdoors and see what you get next year. You might proove me wrong and get flowers. If you live in a colder climate and the pots stay outdoors on your balcony during the winter, you risk freezing the bulbs which then will be of no use.

Yes, experiments have been done on forced paperwhite narcissus and proven to work. See the paperwhite article.

Hi Karen
The general rule is bulbs that have been forced in a pot should not be forced again-which is what you want to do but you can try it. After blooming, place the pot in a sunny area, feed once a week with a diluted fertilizer and let the foliage continue to grow until it totally turns brown. This might replenish the bulb enough so that it will re-bloom the next season. Furthermore, you will have to repot it in fresh soil and give it a cool period (35-45F) for 8-12 weeks. After all that, you may or may not get it to bloom-that’s why it’s simpler to plant it outdoors, if you can. Forced hyacinths, when planted outdoors to rebloom usually develop smaller flower heads.