By E_johnson
United Kingdom 
Next April (12th) my daughter is getting married. her fiance is dutch and I would like to prepare some tulip pots for the wedding. I'm not much of a gardener and am not sure how best to go about this. If I plant some bulbs in October and leave them in our garage, do you think they would be ready for mid-April? When should i bring them out of doors? Are there any particular tulip bulbs that would work better than others? Thank you very much. E Johnson West Sussex
5 Aug, 2012
Answers
If you really want to do it yourself an option might be to choose tulips that flower at different times - it usually says on the packaging, and then bring them into the warmth and light in groups at staggered intervals. But you would need quite a lot if you wanted to be sure of several pots in flower together!
Keeping them in the garage should be OK while they are growing roots. When they have developed shoots above ground they will need light.
Another alternative would be to buy ready grown bulbs that are almost ready to flower.
7 Aug, 2012
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For the amateur growing any plant to flower on a specific day is very challenging. I grow lots of plants and bulbs for our spring shows and then choose the ones that are at their best on the day. Others are not yet in flower or are past their best. For something as important as your daughters wedding I would suggest that you might like to pay a nursery or florist to provide 'the perfect pots' on the day.
5 Aug, 2012