Ish, who is known as gardening.with.ish on TikTok, has shared his top tips for growing tulips in a pot, and says now is the perfect time to get planting
Winter can certainly cast gloom over our gardens, with gales and storms leaving them looking rather depressed.
But, fear not, because there’s light at the end of this dreary tunnel. Ish, a green-fingered sensation from TikTok known as gardening.with.ish, dispenses invaluable horticultural advice to his avid followers.
In one of his newest tutorials, Ish claims that we’ve hit the “perfect time” to get our tulips in the ground, claiming it’s simple if you’re willing to do a bit of groundwork.
Stick to his straightforward advice, and you could see your garden bursting into color come late spring. Start by ensuring you have good drainage, as tulip bulbs don’t like soggy soil.
To achieve this, he notes it’s “ideal” to plant in a container with bottom holes to enable water to escape. He then adds a little gravel to the pot.
The clip shows Ish illustrating the process, where he says: “The soil I’m putting in is just some regular, multi-purpose compost, and I’ll line about the first two or three inches with it. Now, you can add some grit into it to give a little bit more drainage in the soil, but I find a bit of regular multi-purpose seems to work fine for me.
“With my bottom layer of compost in, the next thing I want to do is start putting my tulip bulbs in. A lot of people ask me what is the ideal depth to plant tulip bulbs.
“The rule of thumb is usually about two or three times the height of the bulb so, I’ll pop this around about three or four inches below the soil level. I’ll line it out on the bottom here.”
He then pointed the camera towards the pot to demonstrate the correct spacing for the bulbs, emphasising that they shouldn’t be touching one another or the sides of the pot.
By adhering to Ish’s method, you’re guaranteed to see a “fantastic set of flowers” – it’s as straightforward as that. The final step involves covering the bulbs with an additional layer of compost.
Before relocating the pot, Ish advised to give it a good watering. Throughout winter, occasional watering is necessary, though tulips are fairly low-maintenance and resilient.
He explained that ensuring the bulbs aren’t in contact with the edge of the pot helps prevent frost damage, making this approach virtually fail-safe.
Ish included a vital tip – make sure the pointy end of the bulb points up when planting, promoting the best growth possible in your blooms.
Gardening experts advise that tulips should ideally be planted around October or November for premium results. Although planting can stretch to December or even January with success, but starting sooner rather than later is recommended for a vibrant spring display.
