All my tulips have finished flowering....

[Cetti]

...in my pots, so what I do I do with them now? Can I take them out and put them in the garden or must they be left until they die down?

I really need instant colour in the pots now as our house is going on the market and all I can see are pots of green stalks! Bad timing on my part, I know - so all help will be very, very welcome.

[Clanad]

If you move them before they turn brown they will likely not do well next spring. Once they turn brown they still need to stay in the ground so the bulbs can continue to grow for next season. I wouldn't recommend moving them until late this fall or really early next spring...
If you want to get rid of the unsightly bare stalks, you could cut those out, but leave leaves attached at the bottoms...

[Clanad]

By the way, there's nothing to prevent you from planting some quick growing annuals like Verbena, Cosmos or others for some color. Just plant them around the tulip remnants... or you could put in some herbs, especially curly leaf parsley for some green...

[Cetti]

Thank you so much for your answers Clanad, but there won't be time to plant even quick growing annuals.This is my garden, or how it was a week ago.

I meant to have posted this picture first as there is now no colour, only green. You can see how small the pots are - so I'm now in panic mode as the For Sale board is probably going up next week.

[Clanad]

Such a beautiful English garden! Something I've tried to replicate here in the western U.S. If we only had your rain. Considering your plight, I might suggest some fake plants... I know, I know... but some of them look very nice and at least will look better than bare earth. Too bad about the timing, the tulips are very rich and have obviously been there maturing for a while. We couldn't leave the pots out here though, one overnight temperature of minus 30 degrees F and they would fall apart... Best of luck!

[Cetti]

Yes, I do think I shall have to resort to fake means. Sad but necessary. By the way the tulips were only planted at the end of October - and the Meercat 5 years ago!

You do have extreme temperatures, don't you, but at least you can grow real cacti, not the 'toy' ones we have to put up with. Is it Texas you live?

[WendyS]

Pretty garden Cetti!

I've just taken my tulips out of my containers and replanted them with geraniums. I store the bulbs in a dry place during the summer and replant them around November. However, tulip bulbs deteriorate year by year and you don't get such a magnificent show in successive years. I'd be tempted to write them off as a Spring flowering display but stick them in a border somewhere so that they will come up in successive Springs, but gradually fade into significance.

I'd opt for a few bright coloured bedding plants, all the same colour to make an eye catching display. Geraniums are good because they add a little height. Bizzie Lizzies are low in the ground and not so eye catching. Antirhynums are colourfull but generally don't flower until a little later in the summer. (Depends on how quickly you think your house is going to sell).

[Thunderbird+]

What we do once the spring bedding has done its best, is dig the whole lot out, as beds of flowers going to seed are not what folks like to see. If you want to save your tulips for next spring, you could carefully lift them out with a fork, remove any clinging soil around the roots and spread them out so that they can dry out in the sun and when thats done either spread them out in a box with plenty of air around them or hang them up like bunches of onions in a dry shed, keep an eye out for any mould on them. the stems can be removed once they have fully dried,then plant the bulbs again in the Autumn. A wealth of summer bedding should now be available, ready for instant effect, Mezembryanthiums (spell check) look great in a sunny spot. Good Luck.

[Cetti]

Thank you both for your help. Could you detect the desperation in my post? Tomorrow I will lift the pot tulips and put them in the shed, leaving the Snowdrops (halfway down in pots) as I'm supposing being small they will be ok where they are.

WendyS - Geraniums will be a perfect replacement giving colour and height all summer and Busy Lizzies for the wall.

Thunderbird+- Mes.........will look great in the border if I'm thinking of the right flowers. Daisyish and again bloom all summer.

Clanad - Just found a packet of Verbena in the cupboard, so I'm well and truly sorted.

You have solved my problem so quickly and I'm truly grateful. Thank you again.

[Plocket]

Be warned that greenfly LOVE tulip leaves so keep an eye on yours so they don't get damaged, even if you are storing them in a shed.

[Cetti]

Thanks for the warning Plocket, but something has been munching on them already as there are lots of little holes on the leaves - baby snails perhaps?

[Plocket]

Possibly - I'm not really a tulip expert though - I just learned the hard way about tulips and greenfly last year! Keep an eye on them and you should be fine. Good luck!