Double planting

Hi All,

I have about 20 plastic, aquatic type (so lots of holes), baskets sunk into ground, that have Tulips in them (wanted to make sure I knew where all the bulbs were so I didn't damage/dig them up at some point).  They're looking fab at the moment, but when they finish, I'll have lots of gaps.  Can I double plant, so that I have something to fill the gap?  Can I lift the baskets, lift the tulip bulbs, plant, say, Lillies, and put the Tulips back on top, and re-sink the baskets?  I have done this with 1 large patio pot, Lillies underneath, and Tulips on top and it seems to work ok.  Just not sure about this working in the ground.  Or, would this work with Roses instead of Lillies?  Has anyone else done this, or have any tips?  Help and ideas greatly appreciated.

Yvie

Yvie-tinsy bit confused but think I understand-but I don't think this will work.

The tulips if they have any chance of flowering next year need to die back naturally

Can you not plant the lilies into the same sort of baskets in preparation and just swap them over?

How deep are the baskets and if you put them back on top how are the lilies going to push through?

I would put the tulips back, in their dying back state,and not remove them or cut them down.  I would say the baskets are approx 10-12 inches deep.  In a big square terracotta pot on the patio, I have Lilies at the bottom and Tulips on the top.  The Tulips are coming to the end and the Lilies are already pushing their way through, seemingly without a problem.  They did this last year too.  If I do your other suggestion of planting Lilies in the same kind of baskets and swap them over, I'll have 20 Tuilp filled baskets to find somewhere for, until I swap them back over again.

Yvie

Hi Yvie,

No, roses is not a good idea as you need to be able to lift the baskets so the tulips' foliage can die off. I'm also not sure on the lilies but that might work if everything is planted in the same basket. You will need very deep baskets though. Bear in mind that lilies form big clumps over time so you need to check the baskets regularly.

Personally I 'd be inclined to just lift the tulips and re-plant with annuals or Summer-bulbs. Or maybe Dahlias.

Yvieh wrote (see)

I would put the tulips back, in their dying back state,and not remove them or cut them down.  I would say the baskets are approx 10-12 inches deep.  In a big square terracotta pot on the patio, I have Lilies at the bottom and Tulips on the top.  The Tulips are coming to the end and the Lilies are already pushing their way through, seemingly without a problem.  They did this last year too.  If I do your other suggestion of planting Lilies in the same kind of baskets and swap them over, I'll have 20 Tuilp filled baskets to find somewhere for, until I swap them back over again.

Yvie

That was the snag in my plan but you could put them in an out of way place?

Not so out of the way that the critters won't get to them  

Thank you everyone.  I'll need a re-think!

Yvie

I think Lilies under Tulips is a great idea. I already had this in mind with a patch of Lilies I put in the ground last year (usually I keep them in pots) and suddenly discovered an opening this spring that definitely says Tulip to me!

I am very interested in double planting although I don't have need of baskets for critter reasons or changing reasons although marking their locations is a great idea. I have lost a lot of daffs in my time by forgetting where they were, silly me.

Anyhow, I am going to try some perennial combinations through the summer for instance, my Oriental Poppy flop got planted with Cosmos last year but I would really like to discover a permanent arrangement with something rising through the Poppy foliage for later summer display.

 I really will enjoy this learning curve in my severely lacking design skills.

Sedum is definitely a plant to consider perennial double planting...and I have lots of that.

Hi Wintersong,

It seems to work well in the 1 pot that I do this with, so I am tempted to try it in the bed.  I have several well established Sedums, so I will look around for possible alternatives.  Thanks, Yvie.