If you don't intend to use the pot for something else at present, you could dead head and water and give them a feed to build up the bulbs for next year. They will eventually die down. But if you need the container, then you could try and tip them all out as one root ball and find an unused spot in the garden, water and feed them until they die down. You can then lift them and replant or leave them where they are for next year.

Hi Steve the tulip and welcome to GoY! I have this dilemma every year! Especially when they are really gorgeous ones. Two years ago I put the pots in a corner and fed and watered them until they were all yellow and floppy (the leaves) then I let them dry off, then I lifted them out of the pots and stored them in my dark garage in net bags, with labels. Then in the autumn I planted them. It worked a treat..they came back really well. After that spring I decided to bin them and get some different varieties. This year I am going to bin them and start again. Storing them is a lot of effort! I have tried planting them out in the garden in the past, but so many came back blind and the rest deteriorated, so I don't do that any more. I do grow quite a lot of species tulips in the garden though. They come back and multiply, need no lifting and are lovely! HOpe this helps, Karen :)

I've had better luck planting them out. Some come back year after year and spread. They are in borders that are very well drained and even here in West Wales they are pretty dry in summer, which is what they need. Nothing lost by giving it a go. Karen is up in Scotland and the climate is less kind there.

Indeed! :) And I have clay soil. If it were better drained....In fact, you have given me an idea...I might try planting out some of the white ones at the back where the ground is stony and dry. :)

You could try sitting the bulbs on a layer of sand Karen - seem to remember hearing that suggested years ago.

I did a similar thing to Karen, but put the bulbs in full sun in a greenhouse so they could dry off and get a good baking. But only keep the larger bulbs - the smaller ones will not have enough stored energy to flower again.