Potted Tulips
Buy potted tulips in as young a stage as you can find with buds just formed but not even fully emerged. Watching them grow and mature provides weeks of enjoyment. The flowers are just the grand finale!
Potted bulbs can be enjoyed in their plastic or terra cotta nursery pot, but if you want to make them look great, double-pot them. This means to insert the green plastic pot into a swanky designer pot. Fill the empty edges with bark chips and mulch the top with bark chips (if you have some lying around) to top off the display. Otherwise, wrap the pot in an attractive foil wrap to hide the plastic.
The pot you choose has to have a drainage hole and a saucer to collect the excess water (no drainage hole means a shorter life for your swampy bulbs).
I note if you’re double potting (much easier than repotting)– the nice exterior pot doesn’t have to have a drainage hole. You can pour out any excess water. Be aware that some types of “clay” containers weep and if placed on good furniture may leave water stains.
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