Bulbs are energy powerhouses which will reliably produce fabulous flowers year after year and are one of the easiest garden plants to grow. They’re great in the border to fill the gaps around other flowers and shrubs, or perhaps growing up through your lawn in spring and bulbs also make excellent container plants.
Everyone is familiar with the spring flowering bulbs such as Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths, but there are lots of other bulbs which will give you colour and interest almost year round.
Spring Flowering Bulbs
Daffodils, Crocus, Tulips and Hyacinths bring a welcome splash of colour in early spring when very few other plants are in flower. If you’re planting in the border group about 6 or 7 bulbs together for a lovely display when they come into flower. In containers you can make a bold statement with a pot full of the same colour Daffodils or Hyacinths or Tulips and Daffodils or Crocus look wonderful growing up through the lawn. The best time to plant most spring flowering bulbs is in autumn from September to November, avoiding planting in very wet ground.
Summer Flowering Bulbs
For striking displays in there are some excellent summer flowering bulbs. Try different varieties of Allium – tall globes in different shades of purple -or the reds, orange and yellows of Crocosmia. Lilies and Gladioli come in a huge range of colours and all these bulbs can be planted in spring when the soil is starting to warm up. Not all summer flowering bulbs are fully hardy, like Gladioli, and may need to be lifted and stored before the first frosts.
Autumn Flowering Bulbs
To continue your bulb displays into autumn try planting Nerinebowdenii for an exotic burst of long-lasting colour. Nerines will give you a better flower display if planted in coarse, sandy soil. Hardy Cyclamen will quickly spread and flourish in shady spots or beneath trees and Colchicum (Autumn Crocus) are also excellent autumn bulbs for the front of the border or in a rockery. Plant your autumn flowering bulbs in spring or early summer.
Winter Flowering Bulbs
The ever popular snowdrops are one of the earliest flowers to appear in the year and look spectacular planted in large groups anywhere in the garden. Winter Aconite is another early bloomer and great for ground cover under trees and will quickly spread to give you a yellow carpet in February and March. Another easy to grow winter ground cover is Chionodoxa (Glory of the Snow) with their dainty star shaped flowers. Winter bulbs should be planted in late summer/early autumn.
General rules for planting bulbs
In well drained soil and preferably a sunny site, dig a hole wide and deep enough for the bulbs. Generally, they need to be planted two or three times their own depth, spaced about 2 bulb widths apart. Check that you have the bulb the right way up before planting – if in doubt plant sideways! If planting bulbs in the lawn, use a strong trowel to dig out the grass, which can then be replaced on top of the bulbs. It’s very important to make sure the base of the bulb is in contact with the soil at the bottom of the hole – if not water will collect in the gap and rot the bulb.
TIP: A little trick is to treat the flower bulb like a light bulb and give it a push and a twist as you place it in the hole.
Recommended: Buy your next set of bulbs from Dobies
