perennials in containers?

[anniemdaffodils]

Are there any good perennials for containers? Especially I want to put bulbs in containers - daffodis, grape hyacinth - and then on top a daylilly or hosta (depending on sun or shade) to go through the summer. I know daylilies will overwinter in pots, but what about bulbs?

[rainbowgardener]

You are in North Carolina? the daffs and hyacinth will over winter in a container quite nicely. In fact your only problem might be if it gets cold enough for them. I think daffodils need at least 6 wks where the temperature doesn't get above 40 night and day. If you don't have that, you might need to pot them up in moist potting soil, wrap the whole thing in plastic and stick it in your frig for a month or so.

But if daffodils grow well in the ground where you are, they should be fine in your container too.

[Kisal]

Friends of mine who live in your state have told me that the weather sometimes gets quite cold, including snow and ice, in the winter. The bulbs you listed in your post should do fine, even in that kind of weather. You might want to move the pots up against the side of your house when it gets cold, though. Plants in containers don't have the protection of masses of soil around them to protect them from freezing, the way plants in the ground do.

Other than moving the containers to a slightly protected area, the bulbs should overwinter just fine for you.

[rainbowgardener]

Most daffodils are hardy down to zone 5, some of them down to zone 3. You are probably in zone 7. I wouldn't worry too much about winter protection, even in containers....

[Susan W]

You can do some bulbs (daffodil, lilies) but the bloom time is short. A suggestion is to have other flowering plants, and stick a few bulbs in come fall. The smaller daffodils and other (mind blank) do well and give you a spring smile. You have to leave the leaves until old and nasty, so best to have other things to look at.
Perennials are great, but they bloom for a limited time. Annuals are set to bloom their heads off most of the summer. (My old garden center routine kicking in!)
If you want something in the winter, it is a different story. There are a few plants that show some green all winter.