tulip bulbs? In Pot

They grow well in pots but take your planted pots and bury them in the ground. You don't want them to get too warm and grow too fast. In the Spring they will grow just like ground planted tulips and then you can dig up the pot and bring them into a warmer spot or even indoors. I did it several times.
Bill

 

Do you have access to sawdust? If you do, you can shovel out a place in the snow. Set your pots on the ground and pack the sawdust around the pots. This is how my boss over winters all of her perennials outside. She has very little problems with this method.

 

What my boss does in the summer is sets the pots right on the ground, then she packs the sawdust around the pots to make them think they are in the ground. She makes sure there is about 5 or 6 inches around the pots.The saw dust is just a little extra protection. I don't know why it works, but she loses very few plants thru the winter. So I figure, if you can set them on the ground by moving away the snow and them, then set the pots together and pack sawdust around them they should be okay till spring. When it starts warming up they will start sprouting on their own. My boss has bulbs in pots and each spring they grow when it warms up.

 

If you have a house with a raised foundation you can put them under the house or if you have an unheated garage you can put them in there. You do have to give them a little moisture every now and then.
Bill

 

You didn't say where you are located. When we lived in the mountains of central California (zone 7/8) I grew a large planter of tulips every year. The container was plastic that looked like terra cotta. Since tulips need chill, I didn't make any attempt to insulate it. The container was about 24 inches in diameter and about 24 inches high. It didn't matter that the tulips had started to sprout -- they'll pause in the chill. I buried them deep in the container, at least 8 inches deep. In very early spring, as soon as I could, I planted violets and violas VERY CAREFULLY on top. Every spring the tulips gave us a beautiful display on our balcony!

Enjoy your tulips!
BW

 

I'm going on a distant memory , but I once read an article on forcing bulbs. I'm actually trying it right now.

I planted several daffodil bulbs in a clay pot, and stuck that in a plastic bag. I left the bag loose, just to contain dirt if it should get tipped over, and put it in the fridge. This was in late Sept., and I just took it out. So it was in the cold for about 15 weeks. I watered it and set it in the window with the most light. I'll check the water daily, and with some luck I'll have flowers in early spring. (I have another pot in the fridge still, I'll pull it out in a couple weeks). This was just an experiment, since I couldn't get all the bulbs I'd bought in the ground in time last fall.