Tulip Planting Kit — 'Lady van Eijk' Tall Pink | The Bloom Boom

Name: Tulip Planting Kit — 'Lady van Eijk' Tall Pink | The Bloom Boom
Brand: Laura Florals
Price: 15.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

A vibrant cluster of pink 'Lady van Eijk' tulips in an up cycled yellow metal planter tin, placed on a wooden deck with a seaside view of Brighton Pier in the background.

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Tulip Planting Kit — 'Lady van Eijk' Tall Pink | The Bloom Boom

£15.99

Tall, pink and impossible to miss — 'Lady van Eijk' is a Darwin hybrid tulip with big, bold flowers held high on strong stems. One of the tallest tulips we sell, it brings real height and drama to a doorstep pot.

What's in your kit

12 Tulip 'Lady van Eijk' bulbs — tall, pink Darwin hybrid tulips on strong stems
Comfrey pellets and seaweed meal — a gentle feed to help the bulbs build strength for next year
Bamboo plant labels — to mark what you've planted
A plain English grow guide

Two things we deliberately don't include: a planter and compost. Up-cycle a container you already own — but go a decent depth for tulips (at least 25cm/10in, and just as wide) so the roots have room. Grab a bag of peat-free compost and some grit locally. It keeps the kit lighter, cheaper and kinder to the planet. Whatever you use, make sure it's got drainage holes in the bottom — bulbs sitting in cold, wet compost over winter is the one thing that'll finish them off.

Why choose this grow kit?

Big, bold pink flowers — one of the tallest tulips in our range, at 60–85cm
A Darwin hybrid — strong stems, and among the tulips most likely to come back for a second spring
More than a bag of bulbs — every kit includes comfrey pellets and seaweed meal, a gentle, potassium-rich feed to help your bulbs build strength for the year ahead
A plain-English grow guide in every kit — no jargon, no gatekeeping, everything a first-timer needs to get it right
Genuinely plastic-free — the bulbs, the feed and every scrap of packaging, posted plastic-free too
Every kit funds living wage jobs and horticultural training in Ayrshire, for people overcoming homelessness

The bit that matters most

Laura Florals is a social enterprise, so every kit funds living wage jobs and horticultural training right here in Ayrshire. Your pot of spring flowers does a bit more than brighten your doorstep.

Ships plastic-free to mainland GB.

Gardening, minus the gatekeeping.

Have a grow. Laura x

FAQs

How tall does it get — will it work in a pot?
Tall — around 60–85cm. It's happy in a container, but choose a good heavy pot (at least 25cm wide and deep) and a sheltered corner so the flowers aren't catching every gust of wind.

Will these come back next year?
Darwin hybrids are among the better tulips for returning, and with feeding, deadheading and letting the leaves die back you've a good chance of a second show. They won't spread and multiply like daffodils, though, so treat the first spring as the main event.

When do I need to plant it by?
November is ideal. Tulips go in once the soil is properly cold, which helps them dodge tulip fire (a fungal disease that likes things warm and damp). December at a push, if the ground isn't frozen — our autumn arrives early in Scotland, so don't leave it much later than that. Until then, keep the bulbs somewhere cool, dark and dry. Don't plant in spring — it's too late.

Do you ship to Northern Ireland?
Sadly not — Royal Mail no longer accepts seeds or planting material from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Mainland GB only.

How does buying this help?
Every kit funds living wage jobs and horticultural training in Ayrshire, for people overcoming homelessness. You get a beautiful pot of spring flowers; someone else gets a fair job and skills training.

Grow Guide

One variety, one layer — the simplest bulb planting there is.

What you need: a container at least 25cm (10in) wide and deep with drainage holes, peat-free compost, and grit or gravel.

How to plant tulips in pots and containers:

Step 1 — drainage. Add a stone over the drainage hole and a few centimetres of grit or gravel in the bottom. Bulbs sitting in cold, wet compost over winter is the one thing that'll finish them off.

Step 2 — compost. Part-fill with peat-free compost.

Step 3 — plant the bulbs. Set the bulbs on the compost, pointy end up, about 15cm deep and 5–10cm apart. For a full, generous display, pack them closer than you think — tulips look best in a crowd.

Step 4 — cover and top off. Cover with compost to around 2.5cm from the top of the pot. A 2.5cm layer of horticultural grit or gravel on the surface tidies it up and stops the compost splashing about in winter rain. It also helps to deter squirrels and mice from digging in the pot and eating your bulbs. If you'd rather not use grit or gravel, you could use winter-flowering annuals, such as violas, to protect the surface of the compost.

Step 5 — put it somewhere sheltered. A sunny corner against your home. Being so tall, it'll be happiest out of the worst of the wind. Water once if the compost feels dry, then leave it alone until spring. Cold is what your bulbs need over winter — don't bring the pot indoors.

That's it. Nothing to do now until spring.

Over winter — barely anything. Rain will do most of the work; check once a month that the compost hasn't dried right out (unlikely in Scotland). Don't overwater — cold, waterlogged compost rots bulbs.

As shoots appear in spring — start watering more regularly when growth is really underway, keeping the compost evenly damp, not soggy.

Feed for next year, not this one. The bulbs already contain everything they need to flower in year one. The feed's real job is helping them build energy for next spring. Sprinkle half the comfrey and seaweed from your kit onto the compost when the flowers appear, and the rest at the end of flowering. That's it.

Comfrey is potassium-rich — the exact nutrient bulbs need to build strong, fat bulbs for next year's flowers.

The seaweed meal does a different job. It's a broad, gentle source of trace minerals — the micronutrients that keep roots and foliage healthy — and because it breaks down slowly, it feeds without ever scorching the bulb. As the leaves work after flowering, those minerals help the plant pack energy back down into the bulb for next year. Comfrey for the potassium, seaweed for the trace minerals: between them, a balanced, slow-release feed.

There's no harvest exactly (apart from cut flowers) — but there's a real payoff for treating them right.

Deadhead as flowers fade. Snip off spent blooms so the plant feeds the bulb, not seed production. (Leave the stem and leaves.)

Let the leaves die back completely. The one rule most people break. Those green leaves after flowering are recharging the bulb for next year — cut them off early and you starve it. Wait until they've gone yellow and floppy (usually 6+ weeks after flowering), then gently pull them away. Move your pot of finished tulip flowers out of the way if it looks too untidy.

Second year and beyond — the honest bit. Darwin hybrid tulips like 'Lady van Eijk' are among the tulips most likely to come back for a second or third spring with good aftercare — but they won't spread and multiply the way daffodils do. Treat the first spring as the main event and anything after as a happy bonus. Deadhead, feed, and let the foliage die back to give them their best chance.

None of these means you've failed. Bulbs are pretty forgiving.

Shoots appearing early in a mild winter: don't panic and don't cover them — a little frost on the leaves is fine; the flower buds stay tucked down safe.
No flowers at all: most often the compost stayed too wet over winter and the bulbs rotted. Drainage and grit are the fix for next time.
The odd bulb missing: occasionally one doesn't come up. In a full pot you won't notice.
Squirrels or mice digging: cover the surface with chicken wire until shoots appear.
Leaves eaten: slugs love new spring growth — a ring of wool pellets round the base sorts it.

New to this? Here's what's true for every kit we sell.

Compost — you supply your own peat-free compost. Any good bag will do. We don't include it (it's heavy, and you may already have some).

Container — almost anything with drainage holes works: an upcycled bucket, a trough, a big pot. No holes means waterlogged roots, so make some if there aren't any. We don't send a planter on purpose — growing in what you've already got is cheaper and greener.

Light — most things want a bright spot: a sunny windowsill, or outside once the weather's kind. Each guide tells you what that plant prefers.

Gardening, minus the gatekeeping. If a step ever reads like jargon, that's on us, not you.

Your kit contains:

12 Tulip 'Lady van Eijk' bulbs — pink, flowering in late spring
Comfrey and seaweed feed (combined) — for spring feeding to help the bulbs build strength for next year
Bamboo plant labels — to mark what you've planted
A plain English grow guide — the whole thing, minus the jargon

What you supply: a container (at least 25cm (10in) wide and deep) with drainage holes, peat-free compost, and grit or gravel.

Everything ships plastic-free. Mainland Great Britain only (Royal Mail rule on planting material to Northern Ireland).

We will work quickly to ship your order as soon as possible. Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email with further information. Delivery times vary depending on your location.

Our goal is for every customer to be totally satisfied with their purchase. If this isn't the case, let us know and we'll do our best to work with you to make it right.