Buy ‘em green and watch ‘em grow is nearly all you need to know.

Potted bulbs can save your bud in numerous situations. Here’s the low down on buying and using them.
CHOICE AND BASIC CARE OF POTTED BULBS

+ There are lots of potted blooming plants to choose from. In winter and spring, popular potted bulb candidates include: tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, amaryllis and paperwhites, plus little Iris reticulata and dwarf daffodils, daisy-like Anemone blanda, muscari and crocuses. In summer, the flood gates open and there are more flowers, bulb and others, than you know what to do with.

+ Choose potted bulbs that are young, with tight green buds showing, at the most, just a bit of color. Unlike cut flowers, these are still growing. So, unless you need them open for a party that night, buy them green and have fun watching them grow.

+ Water the pots as needed, but don’t kill them with kindness. Water so the soil is moist but not soaked. If the pot feels light, or you stick your finger in and the soil is dry, water it.

+ Here’s an easy method to water potted bulbs and other houseplants the right way. You will not need to do this every day. Only when the soil is dry!
+ Check that pot has a drainage hole in the bottom. If not, repot in a container that does.

+ Put the potted plant in the sink, let the tap run gently until water rises to the brim of the pot (this happens pretty quickly.)

+ Turn off the water – let the water soak through and drain out the hole in the bottom of the pot. Repeat. Let pot sit in the sink until fully drained, about five minutes. FYI, this is the best way to water most houseplants. More plants are killed from overly soggy soil than from neglect.

+ Return the pot to its decorative spot, where there should be a saucer underneath to catch any extra leaky water. That’s it. You’re a plant daddy.
QUICK TIPS ON USING POTTED BULBS INDOORS:

+ Potted bulbs can be enjoyed in their plastic or terra cotta nursery pots, just make sure there’s a tray or plate underneath the pot to catch any water that leaks out.

+ Pots look even better if repotted or double-potted into other more decorative containers. To double-pot, just slip the nursery pot “as is” into another slightly larger but prettier pot – voila, it’s ready for prime time! You can use a nice container with no drainage hole (often called a cachepot) – or a slightly larger pot with a drainage hole and saucer.

+ Water to keep soil moist but not soggy. See watering instructions.

+ When selecting pots or containers for double-potting, let your imagination be your guide.

+ Pretty coffee cups make delightful cachepots to hold small potted plants. Try white or bright blue grape hyacinths in dainty pink-and-white cups arranged in a colorful cluster.

+ A low, broad bowl makes a good container for a breakfast table arrangement of zippy yellow tulips and small blue daisy-flowered Anemone blanda. (One superb peony-flowered yellow tulip, T. ‘Monte Carlo’, has a rich honey fragrance.)

+ For a sophisticated look, display three to five pots of plants with similar-but-different- coloration, scale or textures. Match decorative containers to further connect the grouping. Get to this point, and, in the flower world, you are living large.