The best bulbs to plant in pots

The easiest

Among the wide diversity of bulbs, the easiest to grow and maintain in pots are essential. Tulips excel in this regard, once the threat of rodents is eliminated, as do daffodils, which are robust, along with a few others. Watering will just need to be more regular than for planting in open ground.

• Daffodils: the favourite bulb of beginner gardeners… but not just that! Often called jonquils, we love their diversity in flowering time, which allows for a staggered display of white and yellow blooms over several months, as well as their ability to bloom year after year. Early varieties like ‘Toto’ tolerate partial shade, but they prefer full sun.
• Grape hyacinths: in addition to being economical, they bring an unmatched bluish touch from March onwards. They thrive in almost any bright exposure. Choose larger bulbs with bigger flowers for your pots, such as Muscari armeniacum ‘Big Smile’ or ‘Blue Spike’, or plant the smaller ones closely in a beautiful bowl.
• Tulips: they put on a show in the garden but are also the stars of spring pots. There are varieties for every taste, from single flowers to doubles, classic or more sophisticated, early or late, white or nearly black. From botanical tulips, which are low-growing, to tall tulips with stems up to 70 cm like Darwin hybrids, they all deserve a prominent place in your pots. Look for varieties with sturdy stems like ‘Fontainebleau’ and most of the Triumph tulips.

Also consider: hyacinths, colourful Callas, snowdrops, Begonias for partial shade, Crocus for full sun, Cannas…

→ Read also: 5 easy spring bulbs for beginners

Hyacinths and daffodils, tulips, Callas and grape hyacinths

The most floriferous

Obviously, a plentiful flowering is often sought to adorn our containers and pots: we look for a mass of colour carried by the inflorescences, bunches of brightly coloured flowers! Among the most floriferous bulbs, we can mention: Ipheions or spring stars (from late February to May), forming a pale blue carpet, muscaris, Narcissus bulbocodium, Agapanthes, Alstroemerias or Inca lilies, Dahlias and lilies.

Ipheions, Alstromères, Lilies, Narcissus bulbocodium and Dahlia camelia ‘Milena’

Long-flowering bulbs

It is mainly summer bulbs that flower for a long time, but also some spring bulbs:

• Iphéions, which provide a generous flowering for 5 to 6 weeks, between February and May
• Tuberous Begonias for flowering from summer to autumn in partial shade
• Galtonias or Cape Hyacinths for white flowering on tall stems, all summer from July to early September
• Cannas: long flowering and lush foliage, green or purple, sometimes striate
• Alstroemias: prefer medium-sized Inca lilies, Alstroemeria from the ‘Pitchoune’ series for flowering pots, or the ‘Duchesses d’Anjou’ series (between 30 and 40 cm)
• Dahlias: champions of long-lasting flowering, they bloom late, from mid-summer, but remain until the frosts. Choose them small (mini Dahlias) or larger (decorative pompon Dahlias…) if you have more space.
• Tulbaghias: these alliaceous plants flower continuously all summer until the frosts, with their pink, mauve, or white flowers. They love the sun.

Dahlia ‘Seduction’, Galtonias, Tuberous Begonia ‘Bertinii’, dwarf Alstroemias, and Canna ‘Confetti’

The most fragrant

Some bulbs offer, in addition to their graceful flowering, an enchanting fragrance. We recommend bulbs that bloom in mid-spring or summer, to enjoy them at leisure on your balcony or terrace.

• the hyacinths: they are among the most sought-after bulbous plants for creating lovely fragrant arrangements to place on a windowsill or at the entrance of the house. They also require well-drained soil, full sun or partial shade. Among the most fragrant are the ‘Carnegie’ white, or the popular ‘Delft Blue’
• the Iris reticulata: flowering in late winter and early spring until February-March, these bulbous irises emit a sweet fragrance and form wide clumps of intense blue. Choose the Iris reticulata ‘Scent Sational’, Iris reticulata ‘Hodgkin’, or Iris aucheri with a light violet scent. All thrive in full sun, in very well-drained soil.
• the Freesia: these are beautiful, somewhat tender plants, whose funnel-shaped flowers offer a wide range of colours, including red, pink, yellow, white, or blue (with a long lifespan). Opt for single-flowered freesias, which are much more fragrant than double-flowered varieties.
• the lilies: they provide a fragrance reminiscent of jasmine and honeysuckle, very fragrant, and bloom from late May to August depending on the cultivars. In pots, be cautious about their placement on the terrace or balcony as their stamens can stain. Some beautiful lilies for pots include the lily ‘Muscadet’ white speckled with pink, which is exotic (70 cm), the trumpet lily ‘Pink Perfection’ (1.20 m), and the Asian lily ‘Avalon Sunset’ in orange and peach, which is pollen-free and blooms in early summer (1 m).
• the daffodils: the most fragrant daffodils will make a statement near an entrance, such as ‘Avalanche’ with musky notes, or the irreplaceable Narcissus poeticus.
• The Amaryllis belladonna: Tender, they are suitable for pot planting in many regions. Their vanilla scent and their staggered flowering in late summer is a major asset, in addition to their exotic beauty.

Iris reticulata, muscari and hyacinths, poet’s daffodil and Oriental lily ‘Muscadet’

→ Read also 6 highly scented varieties of Daffodils, 9 fragrant spring bulbs, Lilies: the most fragrant

Bulbs that take up little space

We love tiny bulbs that can easily fit into planters alongside perennials, ivy, or miniature bushes. Their mini bulbs leave room for other plantings and larger bulbs in the planter or container! These are primarily spring bulbs:

• The dwarf daffodils, ranging from 10 to 25 cm, are perfect for the smallest baskets or mini planters for window sills, especially for apartment living.
• Chionodoxa or glory of the snow: emerging from winter, their clusters of flowers in ultramarine blue, white, or pink depending on the variety, do not exceed 15 cm in height.
• The muscari: fresh for the bluish touch they bring in spring, classic muscari are particularly prolific.
• The snowdrops, the first to bloom in mid-winter, their small bulbs allow for the creation of multi-season planters by combining them, for example, with hellebores, squills, ophiopogons, and muscari, etc.
• But also: crocuses, Anemone blanda, Anemone coronaria, Ipheions…

→ Alexandra explains How to understand bulb sizes to choose better

Dwarf daffodils, snowdrops, and muscari thrive in tiny containers to brighten up a table, a bench…

Bulbs that stay low

Bulbs that are a bit lower are often needed to enhance a beautiful pot where taller plants are placed in the centre. The bulbs that remain low help to fill the edges of pots or containers, and once planted, they can be forgotten until the next season, with seasonal annual flowers added for summer! But they also create lovely arrangements in small containers like baskets, mini zinc planters, etc.

• Snowdrops or Galanthus: they form a small tuft about 15-20 cm high, delighting with their pure white bell-shaped flowers, and require cold to bloom well. Their early flowering means they can even adorn a pot in the shade.
• Dwarf daffodils or those that remain low such as Narcissus ‘Sun Disc’ (20 cm), Narcissus ‘New Baby’ or Tête à tête all yellow, or even ‘Topolino’, with a white corolla and yellow trumpet.
• Botanical tulips: although appreciated for their easy naturalisation in the garden, their small size works wonders in small pots or planters! Botanical tulips for pots should be chosen to be rather slender and tall, like Tulipa clusiania ‘Lady Jane’, or Tulipa humilis pulchella ‘Violacea’,
• Narcissus bulbocodium, charming with their golden yellow flowers, and their height (15 cm) allows them to be included in all arrangements with blue or white flowers.
• Muscari: they all remain small, revealing their clusters of tiny sky-blue bells (15 to 30 cm maximum height for Muscari latifolium, bicolour).
• Iris reticulata, white or blue, are loved for their freshness and poetry. They grow from 15 to 30 cm depending on the cultivars. They are delightful when planted closely in a small pot, alongside blue and white hyacinths or in groups of the same variety planted in a low basin.

Tulipa humulis pulchella ‘Violacea’, Chionodoxa forbesii ‘Blue Giant’, Iris reticulata and Narcissus ‘Sun Disc’

The most spectacular

Despite their stature and perfect architectural effect in borders, some bulbs can indeed be planted in pots, which should be large enough to accommodate their lofty silhouette… and their sizeable bulb:

• the imperial fritillaries: imperial they are when grown in pots, where they bring verticality and a lot of exoticism to spring displays. Their orange crown and tuft of leaves just above the flowers create a sensation and brighten up any combination. Plant in a sunny spot in groups of 3 or 5 bulbs for a lovely volumetric effect. These bulbs are quite hardy and require well-drained soil. Choose medium-sized varieties, such as Fritillaria imperialis ‘Bach’ (70 cm), ‘Rubra’ (80 cm), or the salmon-coloured ‘Tchaikovsky’ (60 cm)
• the Eremurus: the steppe lilies can easily join a large pot, temporarily beautifying the terrace or a paved area of the garden with their majestic spikes in pastel, white, or yellow tones. Plant in a sunny area sheltered from the wind and with a draining substrate, in a container wide enough to accommodate their unusual bulb.
• the Eucomis or pineapple plant: unusual with their flowering spikes topped with a tuft of leaves resembling a pineapple. Many Eucomis are suitable for pots, including Eucomis bicolor, or ‘Sparking Burgundy’ for a more pronounced colour
• The Hedychiums or ornamental gingers: frost-sensitive, these exotic rhizomatous plants should urgently be adopted in pots for a large balcony or exotic terrace! Their yellow or orange inflorescence, depending on the variety, and their sheathing foliage like Cannas are astonishing. The pot and the stump should be protected from frost in winter, or the bulbs can be stored until the end of spring…
• … but also, less theatrical yet just as magical, the Agapanthus, the Ismene flowering white in summer, and the Peruvian Scillas, violet-blue, sublime in spring!

Hedychium coccineum ‘Tara’, Eucomis bicolor, Eremurus ‘Pinokkio’, and Fritillaria imperialis ‘Rubra’