Autumn planting in pots usually means heather and perennials that keep the pot looking good until the first frosts. Add spring bulbs to the same pot between September and December and it will flower again once winter is over. Plant the bulbs in layers, known as a bulb lasagne, and three to five varieties take turns flowering from February to June in the same space.
Depth and flowering by layer
The largest bulbs, which flower last, go at the bottom. The smallest, which flower first, go at the top. The rule of thumb for depth in a pot is three times the height of the bulb itself. In a bulb lasagne the bottom layer ends up deeper than that, and tulips cope with it: the shoots find their way up between the bulbs above.
| Layer | Bulb | Depth to base of bulb | Flowers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Crocus | 7-10 cm | February to March |
| Top | Grape hyacinth | 7-10 cm | March to May |
| Top | Hyacinth | About 10 cm | March to May |
| Middle | Daffodil | About 15 cm | March to May |
| Bottom | Tulip | 20-25 cm | April to May, late varieties into June |
Stagger each layer so the bulbs sit in the gaps rather than directly above one another. Leave roughly one bulb's width between bulbs, and keep them a little way in from the side of the pot. Bulbs that touch each other are more likely to rot.
Pot, compost and number of bulbs
The pot should be at least 30 cm wide and 30 cm deep. For three layers with tulips at the bottom it needs to be closer to 35 cm deep: about 10 cm of compost under the tulips, 20-25 cm from the base of the tulips up to the surface and 2 cm left to the rim. If your pot is shallower, skip the tulips and let the daffodils form the bottom layer.
Material: terracotta cracks easily in winter. Choose a pot labelled frost-proof, as frost-resistant is not enough.
Drainage: at least one hole in the base. Cover it with crocks or put a layer of clay pebbles in the bottom so it does not clog.
Compost: multi-purpose compost mixed with grit, roughly three parts compost to one part grit, so that water drains through.
Numbers: a pot 45 cm across holds 12 tulip bulbs in the bottom layer, or up to 20 if you want a dense display. Hyacinths need about 7.5 cm between bulbs. Crocus and grape hyacinths can go in close together, as long as they do not touch.
How to plant the pot
Base: cover the drainage hole and add about 10 cm of compost.
Tulips: set the bulbs pointed end up with one bulb's width between them. Cover with compost until they have just disappeared.
Daffodils: place the next layer in the gaps above the tulips and cover them in the same way.
Top layer: crocus, grape hyacinths or hyacinths. Cover with 5-10 cm of compost. The surface should sit at least 2 cm below the rim so water does not run over the edge.
Water: water thoroughly once so the compost settles around the bulbs. After that the pot only needs water if the compost dries out.
How we layer our bulb kits
In the Bulb Lasagne kit we have put together 61 bulbs of five varieties in blue, white and green. From the bottom up come tulip Green Spirit, daffodil Bridal Crown, Allium caeruleum, grape hyacinth Baby's Breath and, closest to the surface, crocus Blue Pearl. The crocus opens in February or March, and the last to arrive are the blue flower globes of the allium in early summer.
If you want to keep it simpler, the Pot Mix bulb kit has 18 bulbs in white and pink. Tulip Mystique Van Eijk sits at the bottom, daffodil Arctic Power in the middle and hyacinth Gipsy Queen on top. If the kits have sold out for the season, build the same layers with the varieties bought separately from our bulbs for autumn planting.
Green on top through autumn
A bulb pot shows nothing but compost until February. One or two plants on the surface make it look good through autumn without disturbing the bulbs. Leave gaps in the top layer of bulbs, set the plants there and place the crocus around them before you add the last of the compost.
Heather (Calluna vulgaris): evergreen and hardy in most of the UK and northern Europe. It wants acid soil, so give the root ball a handful of ericaceous compost. More in the article on heather.
Graceful heath (Erica gracilis): grown as an annual, with stronger colours but no frost tolerance, so it has to be replaced after the first cold nights.
Ivy (Hedera helix): evergreen trails that hang over the rim and are happy in shade, for example by a north-facing front door.
Heather dries out easily, while the bulbs rot in wet compost. So water the surface plants little and often around the root ball rather than soaking the whole pot.
The pot through winter
Compost in a pot gets colder than soil in a border, because the cold reaches in from every side. Wet matters as much as cold. Water expands by about 9 percent when it freezes, so a pot of waterlogged compost can crack, and bulbs that sit wet will rot. Protect the pot against wet first and against cold second.
Saucers and feet: remove the saucer in November and stand the pot on pot feet or two bricks so the drainage hole stays clear.
Position: sheltered from the wind against a house wall. Under the eaves the pot escapes most of the rain, but there you have to make sure yourself that the compost does not dry out completely.
Insulation: before a hard frost, wrap the pot in bubble wrap or hessian and put a layer of leaves on the surface. The smaller the pot, the faster it freezes through.
Water: feel the compost during mild spells from December to February. If it is dry 5 cm down, give it a splash of water on a day above freezing.
Not into the warmth: tulips need a long period below 9°C to flower. An unheated shed or garage works as temporary shelter during the coldest weeks, but a warm room does not.
From planting to flowering
Flowering can shift by a few weeks with the spring weather and with where you live, but the order of the varieties stays the same.
| Month | In the pot | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| September to December | The bulbs form roots | Plant. Crocus want 6-8 weeks in the ground before hard frost sets in, see growing crocus. Tulips can go in last. |
| November | Rooting continues | Remove the saucer, stand the pot on feet and move it against a house wall. |
| December to February | Cold rest | Insulate before a hard frost and check the moisture during mild spells. |
| February to March | The crocus flower | Remove leaves and insulation once the shoots appear, so they get light. |
| March to May | Grape hyacinths, hyacinths and daffodils flower | Water when the compost feels dry. Bulbs in growth drink more than in winter. |
| April to June | The tulips flower, the allium last | Remove faded flowers and leave the foliage. |
| June and July | The leaves yellow and die back | Empty the pot once the leaves have died back completely. The daffodils can be planted out in the border. |
Tulips in pots rarely flower as well in their second year, so plan on new bulbs every autumn. The Darwin hybrid tulip Mystique Van Eijk has the best chance of coming back. More on that in the article on growing tulips.
Common mistakes with bulbs in pots
The saucer stays put: water collects, the bulbs rot and the compost freezes into a solid lump.
Crocus at the bottom: small bulbs cannot push up through 20 cm of compost. The smallest bulbs always go on top.
The leaves are cut straight away: the leaves send nutrients down to the bulb for next year. Remove the faded flowers but let the leaves die back completely.
Squirrels find the pot: freshly planted bulbs in loose compost are easy to dig up. Lay chicken wire over the pot straight after planting and remove it when the shoots appear in February or March.
Author: Emma Vogiatzi
Fact-checked by Erik Hoekstra
Last updated 2026-10-19