Get your bulbs in now
It’s early Autumn, and time to start thinking about bulb planting to ensure you have a splendid, cheering display of flowers in early Spring.
The variety of spring bulbs is astonishing. It starts with the earliest flowerers, snowdrops, scylla, crocus and iris reticulata. Woodland bulbs like bluebells, anemones and cyclamen. Then early flowering narcissus and hyacinths. And in later spring, the crowning glories of tulips and fritillaria.
When planting spring bulbs, it’s important to plant plenty if you want to achieve a really eye catching display. Scatter handfuls of snowdrops and crocus bulbs in shallow trenches under trees or along border edges. Plant daffodils in clumps of three, five and seven bulbs, to create lush clumps of flowers. Interesting displays of smaller plants for your patio or deck can be created by planting lots of them in shallow containers – choose iris reticulata and muscari hyacinths. Or try creating ‘bulb lasagne’ – take a deep pot, and plant in layers – tulips at the bottom, daffodils above them, and a selection of shorter earlier flowering bulbs above them (muscari hyacinths and miniature narcissi look lovely together).
Tulips come in almost infinite combinations of colours, shapes and sizes. Tall and bold, short and graceful, multi headed, naturalising – take your pick. Be aware though, that unlike daffodils and narcissi, its likely that your tulips may only flower once if you leave them in the ground. If you want them to flower repeatedly, lift them after they have flowered and the leaves have withered, then store and replant in the Autumn. Or you can opt for bulbs which have a much longer life – like Viridiflora or Darwin hybrid – and plant them a foot deep. Finally, there are lots of naturalising tulips – such as Fosteriana and Greigii, which you can plant, confident in the knowledge that they will thrive and indeed multiply.
Whatever you choose, your spring bulbs will be a marvellous antidote to the dreary winter months, and kick start your garden for the season ahead. If you’re not sure how to go about this, give us a call!