In article , Bjan
writes
Hi!

I'm totally new to gardening - but I'm wanting to try plant some bulbs to
flower in spring in some containers.

All the packaging says that the bulbs should be planted about 10cm apart -
is that true? I've seen some websites where it says to plant them 'shoulder
to shoulder' - if I want loads of flowers in one container, can I really
only plant a few bulbs? I'm thinking of all the typical spring bulbs, like
tulips, daffodils, Iris etc etc.

The bulbs that you want to flower this spring will have already formed
their flowers (that's why you can flower a hyacinth in a jar of water),
so the growing conditions this year will determine *next* year's
flowers.

If you're happy for your container bulbs to have a year's rest before
they start flowering in their eventual home in the garden (it's hard to
keep bulbs flowering year after year in a container, unless they're tiny
enough for the container to feel like open ground to them) then you can
pack them in as tightly as you like, even, sometimes, putting them in a
couple of overlapping layers (you can do this with daffodils). If you
see crocuses at flower shows, they are planted tightly together to give
a mass of flowers.

Also, can I plant some things that flower now, or even evergreen plants in
the same containers or will that stunt the growth of the bulbs?

As above - the overcrowding won't upset the spring flowers.

That said, some of the bulbs might keep going for ever - the very tiny
daffs, perhaps. I had some containers going for years which had a
selection of heathers and in autumn tiny hardy cyclamen which would push
up through the heathers.

It's probably a matter of taste, but I find shorter bulbs do better in
containers - things up to about 6 inches high are less inclined to flop.
Dwarf tulips, daffodils, scilla are all good.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"