I received some potted tulips and daffodils as a gift this spring and I enjoyed them in the house. Can I plant them into the garden when they are done blooming to enjoy them again next year?
Minnesota Master Gardeners say:
Generally, the recommendation is to discard forced spring flowering bulbs after they bloom, as they are considered 'spent.' The bulbs expends a lot of energy to bloom indoors, and getting a second bloom out of the bulb in the garden is difficult and not a sure thing. Needless to say, these bulbs can not be used as house plants, they will never rebloom if kept indoors. This toss-out philosophy does not apply to amaryllis bulbs or tender summer flowering bulbs which we start in the spring. See the FAQ on Amaryllis Care for information on how to get them to rebloom.
Spring flowering bulbs that are considered good naturalizers, like daffodils, crocuses, grape hyacinths and other minor bulbs, may do well when planted outdoors after forcing. On the other hand, tulips are hard to rebloom even when grown solely in the garden. It is probably not worth your garden space to plant forced tulips into your beds. Forced hyacinths may rebloom in the garden, but don't expect those wonderful full flowers they had initially. Finally, paperwhites (Narcissus species) are not hardy in Minnesota, so these potted specimens should be tossed after the blooms have faded.
Info-U offers a script (below) on this topic (focused on daffodils). The script does not recommend transplanting your bulb plants directly into the garden in the spring, as this would require that they be seated deeper in the garden than they were growing in a pot, burying part of the leaves.
Saving Forced Bulbs
Potted daffodils, received during the winter as gift plants, may be kept and planted in the garden in spring. However, it often takes 2 to 3 years for bulbs to come back into bloom after they have been "forced" for indoor use. It isn't worth your while to even try tulips.
While indoors, keep your bulb plants actively growing. Remove the flowers after blooming, to prevent seeds from forming. Place the plants in a cool, very sunny location. Keep the soil slightly moist to the touch, until the leaves mature or die down naturally. Fertilize about once a month with a water soluble house plant fertilizer. The longer the leaves stay green and healthy, the stronger the bulb, and the better its chances for blooming the following year.
Store the bulbs in a dark, dry location over the summer. Then plant them in October, the same as you would new ones. Discard any bulbs that have grown soft or diseased in storage.
Care for the bulbs outdoors as you would any others. With luck, they'll bloom again, eventually.
For information on how to replant your bulbs in the fall, see the FAQ Fall Planting Hardy Bulbs.
