Autumn is the Time to Plant those Best Ever Spring Bulbs

Spring time is a wonderful time of year for gardeners. Its a time when the long dormant gardens suddenly take on colour from a number of budding trees but primarily from bulbs that have been lying silent in the cold winter ground – in wait. The show the emerging green shoots tell a gardener where the bulbs are, are soon followed by the flowers thrusting themselves skyward itching to break into full bloom.

Bulbs that are Spring Flowering

It does not matter what size the garden is, planting out bulbs for a spring time display will be rewarding. Probably the best known spring bulbs are the Jonquils that flower first and are quickly followed by the daffodils. Both the Jonquil and the Daffodils come in either yellows and creams and some have a mixture of yellow and cream in the flower. The Freesias are probably one of the most fragrant of the bulbs and they range in colour from soft cream to yellows, mauves and into the pink and light blues. Tulips are also one of the earlier flowering bulbs and although without a scent they are arguably one of the most beautiful of bulbs. Hyacinths are also a very highly perfumed bulb with colours of white/cream, mauve/lilac, pinks and yellows. Ranuncula and Grape Hyacinth are also one of the better known bulbs, with colours of the ranuncula ranging from yellows, oranges, reads pinks, to whites and creams, whilst the baby Grape Hyacynth remains just the one colour of vibrant mauve/blue.

Warm Climate Bulbs

It should be noted that bulbs have a preference for the cooler climates, however there are some that do not mind the warmer climates. They are in no particular order: Jonquils, Muscari, Pritelia, Ixia, Freesia and Tritonia,

Potted Bulbs

Bulbs look spectacular in pots; the more unusual the pot the nicer the bulbs appear to be, so do not discard old cooking pots, teapots, baking dishes, baths, or other metal or timber items that you feel may be a good home for your spring flowering bulbs.

Formal Garden Plantings

Formal gardens love bulbs and plenty of them, so plant the bulbs en masse and use just one colour per mass, this will achieve a greater degree of effective showing. A great way to highlight a mass of bulbs is to plant them under trees such as the deciduous birch, crepe myrtle, crab apple or prunus varieties.

Cottage Garden Plantings

Cottage gardens are by nature a mixture of anything and everything, so planting en masse does not always have to be the way. Clustered or solitary, the bulbs will always look good in a cottage garden.

When to Plant the Bulbs

• The best time to plant out the bulbs is in autumn; this gives the bulbs time to grow a root into the soil and allows the plant to put all its resources into its own growth before it has to put energy into producing the flowers.
• All flowers grow just as well in pots as they do in the ground, so if space is an issue do not despair, pot will be fine.
• Remember that bulbs such as Hyacinth and Tulips should be chilled in the refrigerator for about 6 weeks, this gives the bulbs the chill factor that is required in order to flower.
• Bulbs should be planted to a depth of approximately three times the size of the bulb, with the pointy bit facing upwards. However the ranunculi and the anemones are an exception to the rule and they should be planted with the pointy bit that is the corm facing down into the soil.

Fertilizer can be applied to the plants when the buds appear. Once the bulbs have flowered leave the leaves on and don’t remove them until they have browned off completely as the plant is still extracting nutrients from the leaves. Bulbs need only minimal watering during the summer months; water can be given periodically during spring flowering to ensure that the flowers do not wilt. Remember to plant bulbs in autumn for that truly wonderful spring showing.