For the best results, plant your bulbs according to the package's planting times. Bulbs are not just for spring – many flower in summer and they’re perfect for pots and small spaces. Bulbs prefer loose, fertile soil. And there are other bulbs you can plant now — alliums, irises, lilies — that will light up summer too. The simplest compost to choose is bulb fibre, especially if the container has no drainage holes. Nothing in a garden says spring like a daffodil or a crocus does. Bulbs are the most glittering performers on the garden stage. “But they’ll flower anywhere inside – the cooler the room, the slower they’ll grow.”. They like soil that is loose and well-drained. Bulbs are some of the best perennials for Southern gardens. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Dig holes for each bulb, keeping the depth twice the width of the bulb. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Place bulbs in each hole with pointed end up and cover with more Flower Bed Mix. Plant spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, crocus and hyacinths, preferably by the end of September ; Plant tulips in November ; Plant hardy summer-flowering bulbs, such as lilies, alliums and crocosmia, in September and October; Spring. Find out more, The top 10 snowdrop varieties to plant in your garden, Gardening in December: what to plant and tidy in your garden this month, The Gardener's Advent Calendar: 24 easy jobs to do in December, How to look after poinsettia plants: tips on how often to water and where to display them, The creative ways the National Trust have had to adapt in lockdown. As a general rule, it’s wise to look to the southern hemisphere for summer-flowering bulbs. Use Jobe’s® Organics® Bulb Food as directed. 4.0 out of 5 stars 2,787. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. There is then a very good chance that not only will they bloom beautifully this first spring, but that’ll they adapt and come back to flower again and again for many springs to come… that is, if you live in a cool to cold winter area. Make sure two-thirds of the bulb is showing above the rim of the pot and fill in all around, ideally with bulb compost, but potting soil will do. (Find our list of companion plants for spring-flower bulbs HERE). Warm soil and cooler nights make fall the perfect time for planting … The first is to scratch the soil, set the bulbs on top then cover the bulbs with 6-8 inches of topsoil. Agapanthus - African Lily - Plant the bulbous crowns in spring, or buy pot-grown flowering plants early summer. A maryllis - Bella Donna Plant bulbs in late autumn or spring - cover bulb with shallow layer of soil. You’ll want to keep the soil consistently moist after green shoots appear. You might want to grab a bottle of rodent repellent, which coats bulbs to discourage animal thievery. “The scent is divine in the evening, so place them close to the door in any case,” he says. Plant in a location that gets lots of sun from January through early May. A variant on the British/European echium, it doesn’t take two years to flower, unlike most Canary echiums. Because bulbs have invented such a clever, energy-efficient way of packaging themselves, planting them could not be simpler. Plan to Protect Your Bulbs. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Arthur Parkinson, who conjures an eruption of floral goodness out of dozens of dolly tubs in his paved front garden in Nottinghamshire, knows a thing or two about bringing colour to small spaces. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Fall is a great time to work in the gardenbright sunny days paired with cooler temperatures make for a perfect climate to plant and prepare for the next growing season. Mix in your plant food before adding new bulbs. “They like to be planted deeply into good, well-draining soil,” he says. Here are three of my favourites. John Amand, of specialist bulb nursery Jacques Amand, says the swiftest gratification will come from hippeastrum bulbs, known as amaryllis. The only difficulty is knowing what to choose from the fabulous treasures on offer now on websites and in garden centres. Autumn is the time to start planting bulbs including anemone, daffodil, jonquil, hyacinth, tulip and freesia for flowering in spring. FREE Delivery on your first order shipped by Amazon. While Amand says there are plenty of new varieties, such as ‘Barbados’ (a jaunty red with white centre), he finds the classics – ‘Apple Blossom’ and ‘Red Lion’ – still sell the best, mostly because they just keep going. And there are other bulbs you can plant now — alliums, irises, lilies — that will light up summer too. Most bulbs need a well-draining site, to prevent molding and rotting. Plan now to thwart animal marauders such as squirrels and chipmunks. More experienced growers may want to try to get their hands on the last of the lachenalia bulbs, or leopard lily, which also hail from South Africa. After that, you can place the pots in sunny areas. Plant tender summer-flowering bulbs, including gladioli, in early spring; Summer The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. As a general rule, it’s wise to look to the southern hemisphere for summer-flowering bulbs. Autumn is time for renewal and change; why not start in the garden? Why not get the kids to help you? Right now as our nights are cooling to 40-50 degrees is a perfect time to plant some bulbs for a burst of color in the spring. I have two ideas for “no dig” bulb planting. 12 x Ranunculus Bulbs ‘Mixed’ Colourful Summer Flowering Bulbs - Ready to Plant - by Woodland bulbs® (Free UK P&P) 3.4 out of 5 stars 254. Most bulbs do best when planted two-and-a-half to three times deeper than they are tall. Like many spring-blooming bulbs, the foliage is not very attractive so it helps to plant with other perennials that will cover their leaves. “There’s nothing much you can do to stop them flowering, it’s so easy.”. For bonus points, there’s the pink-and-white striped Crinum ‘Cintho Alpha’, which Pottage calls “a lovely oddity to look out for”. It’s a great way to teach them about how plants grow, and they’ll wait with eager anticipation to see the results of their handiwork in spring. WHAT FALL BULBS SHOULD … Bulbs don’t pretend they are there to provide bulk or structure or any of the other things people (including me) go on about. And finally, bulbs grow best in soil amended … Most bulbs are planted twice as deep as the bulb is high/tall and the same distance apart. And then they go. The bulbs all need to have their foliage left intact until it turns brown. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. In planting the bulbs, you need to remember that the pointy ends must face up and the blunt ends face down. Bulbs to light up your summer: Plant these marvelous summer-flowering bulbs now to give your borders some colour when the daffs have died, says Monty Don He warns that they can seem deceptively sleepy, saying: “They’re one of those things you put in a pot and it doesn’t grow, then you’ll come down one morning and the thing’s in flower.” In six weeks, Amand says, it will be “nothing short of spectacular”. You can often find them in supermarkets or garden centres in kits, complete with pot and compost, for about a tenner. Amand recommends keeping them cool until they’ve rooted and await a riot of colourful tubular flowers in July or August. As with many things in lockdown, ­getting hold of bulbs is part of the challenge. Gladioli emerge from corms, rather than bulbs, but are nevertheless the easiest to get hold of at the moment. And ration out the planting, too – not only because it’s something to do during lockdown weekends. So if you have a bulb that is two inches around, you would plant it six inches deep. Matt Collins is a particular fan, introducing them into the gardens of the Garden Museum, which he tends, after encountering them in the Canary Islands. Can do to stop them flowering, it ’ s nothing much you can often Find them in supermarkets garden... Best in soil amended … Plan to Protect your bulbs right away prevent. 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