Growing Bulbs, Rhizomes & Corms in Containers
I love container gardening, especially with a variety of bulbs, rhizomes and corms. It’s so easy and they come back beautifully year after year. Plus, many of them make a lot of babies that you can give away to friends and family. I like to grow them in containers for a couple of reasons:
- Love to put them front and center when they are blossoming.
- Easy to put them aside when dormant.
Most of my bulbs, rhizomes and corms in containers are spring blooming. They start to emerge in the fall/winter, bloom in the spring and are mostly dormant over the summer. It’s important to let foliage continue to grow after blooming; this is how they gain energy for the subsequent year. I stop watering when foliage dies back. While dormant, I place all my containers in a shady area within our cottonwood grove. Though watch out for critters. One year some hens got out and ate up some of my tiny bulbs.
Repotting & Refreshing Potting Soil
At least every two years, I repot all of my containers. First, I sift all the soil through a compost screen so that I don’t miss any bulbs or corms. Though it is a little tricky to get all of the tiny bulblets and cormlets. That means that some babies and seeds may end up in other containers.
I reuse the old potting soil by mixing in some kelp, perlite, vermiculite, as well as bone and blood meal. I use about 50/50 old and new potting soil. I also add in some organic granular bulb food (Jobe’s Espoma and Dr. Earth are all good choices), but don’t let it touch the bulb or corm.
Bulbs, Rhizomes & Corms that Do Well in Containers
- Agave amica, Tuberose
- Brodiaea
- Crocus
- Daffodil
- Fritillaria meleagris, Chequered Lilies
- Fritillaria persica, Persian Lily
- Fritillaria uva-vulpis
- Hippeastrum (often referred to erroneously as Amaryllis)
- Hyacinthus
- Iris reticulata
- Iris ser. Californicae, Pacific Iris
- Ixia
- Leucocoryne
- Leucojum aestivum, Snowdrops
- Muscari, Grape Hyacinth
- Narcissus papyraceus, Paperwhite
- Scilla campanulata excelsior, Wood Hyacinth
- Scilla litardierei, Amethyst Meadow Squill
- Scilla peruviana
- Triteleia
Bulbs, Rhizomes & Corms Blooming in My Container Garden
