The displays at garden centers and florists are full of flower arrangements these days. After all, Easter is one of the four major occasions (along with Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day) when people buy flowers. And there is a wide choice: Easter lilies, anemones, ranunculus, chrysanthemums, bigleaf hydrangeas, slipperworts and much more. And all these plants will brighten up the house during the Easter period. However, under most conditions, none of them will flower again, either as a houseplant or in the outdoor garden. These plants should be considered as ephemeral, only good for throwing on the compost after flowering.
However, there are Easter plants that have a life beyond Easter week: lilies and primroses can become faithful servants if planted in the garden; azaleas, African violets, orchids and hibiscus can survive and bloom again as houseplants. Finally, there are also spring-flowering bulbs which, after flowering in a pot, can find a new life in the flowerbed.
What Bulbs Are They?
The spring-flowering bulbs sold in pots are the same bulbs that are already flowering or will soon be flowering in the garden: tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses, dwarf irises, etc. We simply overwintered them in a giant refrigerator to simulate winter, then exposed them to light and heat to make them bloom at the right time, that’s all. However, their natural environment is not in a pot, but in the ground in a cold climate… conditions that are easy to replicate at home.
During Flowering Season
To prolong the life of potted bulbs as much as possible, make sure they get plenty of light during the day, but also as much coolness as possible, especially at night. If, for example, you move the pots from your living room, where their flowers are so appreciated, to a slightly heated garage, an unheated room or a cold room at night, or even simply near a partially open window, the flowers can last twice as long.
Don’t forget to water them either. When the soil is dry to the touch, water thoroughly.
After Flowering
When the flowers wither, remove the seed capsule on the tulips, as its formation saps the energy of the bulbs, while leaving the rest of the stem intact (this step is not necessary on other bulbs). Then place the plant near the sunniest window possible, day and night. Even though these plants tolerate the cold very well when they grow in the open air, it is not wise to put them outside right away: their stay in the warmth of our homes has temporarily eliminated some of their resistance to the cold.
Continue to water them, now adding soluble fertilizer to the water to stimulate the production of large bulbs. Any fertilizer is suitable: apply it according to the instructions and frequency suggested on the label.
When the foliage turns yellow and then dries out, it is time to plant them outside. Pour the contents of the pot into a large jar and collect the bulbs. The soil can be used for compost. Plant the bulbs in a sunny spot in spring and in a well-drained area in any season, to a depth equal to three times the height of the bulb. You can add bulb fertilizer or any other slow-release fertilizer to the soil when planting, or even better, mycorrhizae. You can plant annuals or perennials over the top of the buried bulbs: they will come up through the planting in spring to flower again.
What Result Can You Expect?
Some bulbs react better than others to being repotted in the garden after flowering indoors. Hyacinths will flower as if nothing had happened, although their flower stems are generally less dense in the second year. Crocuses, narcissi and irises often flower a little in the following spring, having become tired from their stay in the house, but abundantly in the years to come. Tulips are the least reliable: sometimes they bloom again, but only after a year or two, sometimes not.
Larry Hodgson published thousands of articles and 65 books in his career, in French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in Le Soleil on April 16, 2006.
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