Bulb planting advice for every season

Toad Lily Photography © Rachael Austin

Tulip Sylvestris Photography © Jonathan Buckley

Triteleia Laxa Photography © Jonathan Buckley

Cyclamen hederafolium Photography © Jonathan Buckley

Autumn is the best time to plant bulbs which are one of the easiest garden plants to grow, needing only a well-drained, humus rich soil and some sunshine.  If your soil type isn’t perfect, they work really well in pots, simply incorporate grit for sand with your growing mixture.

Choosing your compost

If planting in pots, first choose a completely peat-free compost. Peatlands play a vital role in mitigating and stabilising the carbon cycle through their storage of carbon.  These resources take thousands of years to form and can be destroyed in a matter of days for our use. 

Coir, wood fibre or even homemade compost make good alternatives; mix with topsoil and grit at a ratio of 60:30:10 and you will have the perfect potting mix. I like a mixture of compost, soil and grit.

Top 5 general tips

• Rule of thumb: Plant bulbs at a depth 3 times the size of the bulb

• There are always the latest varieties, but if you can, choose species that last; it is so much less hassle and something to look forward to year after year and low maintenance too.

• Naturalised planting in grass: to get a natural look, scatter the bulbs over the planting site and plant them where they fall.

• By growing a mix of species, you will have colour for much of the year. Very useful in hard-to-reach areas, such as steep banks and under trees or large areas of otherwise uninteresting grass.

• One of my favourite suppliers is Sarah Raven, mainly because she has such beautiful images of the plants and spending time on her website I feel like a kid in a sweet shop! Also, she has a good ethical sourcing policy so I know the plants are not being taken from the wild.

These are my favourites for ever-lasting interest in the garden, great for pollinators and great for naturalising.

The pictures are mainly from Sarah Raven and there is a sale on - what’s not to like?

Early Spring

Tulip kaufmaniana – Waterlily tulip, creamy yellow with a deep centre, like little dots of sunshine in early February.

Anemone nemorosa – wild wood anemone also called the wind flower can be seen in our native woodlands and is such a pretty sight, these will naturalise in a lawn or under trees and spread through seed.

Narcissus Pipit – such a wonderful scent for a border position and Narcissus pseudonarcissus also called the Lent Lily is native to the UK and does very well in grass.

Spring Proper

I love species tulips because they come back year after year and also have much smaller strappy leaves than the amazing blowsy cultivars, which I also love, but are short-lived fancies. This means they do not shade out other plants that you want to thrive alongside the tulips.

Tulip sylvestris – meaning of the woods is a deep eggy yellow, dancing on wiry dark stems

Tulip clusiana ‘Tubergens Gem’ – a totally striking flower, almost luminous with a deep yellow centre and red exterior, this is a variety originating in Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.

Tulip humilis – meaning ‘low’, I suppose like the English word humility; this species comes in an array of pinks with a bright yellow centre

Tulip orphanidea (my all-time favourite) is a stunning species of tulip with deep orange-red blooms that resemble crowns. It comes from Crete, The Balkans, Bulgaria and Western Turkey, growing at a high altitude amongst the forests of black pine.

A top tip for tulips and daffodils is to remove dead flowers to stop the bulbs from putting energy into making seeds and instead put it into making a better bulb for next year.

Early Summer

One of the most tolerant and long-lived bulbs you can grow is Camassia quamash it naturalises into meadow grass beautifully. These species originate in North America and are related to the asparagus family – no wonder they are tough! And it looks beautiful planted alongside Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ another very hardy bulb indeed. I also love deep pink, and Gladiolus byzantinus is the best as far as I’m concerned. And Snowdrops – these can be planted ‘in the green’ after flowering so best to buy in April.

Summer

It’s got to be the fox tail lily that does it for me – these monster bulbs look like some sort of ancient sea creature and require a hot, well-drained position with not too much wind – originating in Eastern Europe to Temperate China and Siberia. One day, I would love to travel and see these beauties in the wild! And the prize for the best name and best flower for cutting goes to Triteleia laxa ‘Queen Fabiola’ lasts up to 10 days in a vase or even longer if not picked at all. A beautiful addition for July when borders can look a little bland.

Autumn

And the prize for the worst sounding name goes to Schizostylis coccinea and this plant is also known by the more reasonable Hesperantha coccinea or River Lily and is so delightful even now in November – completely stunning bright red, it also comes in pink and white too so lots to choose from. The most useful ground cover plants tolerant of deep shade and near-drought is the beautiful Cyclamen hederafolium producing foliage in Spring and flowers in Autumn.

Winter

And the winner is …… Cyclamen coum, an amazing plant that brings such joy at the darkest time of the year January and February. These will naturalise under trees and on banks, or even plant a few in pots, just to cheer yourself up when all about you is mud and twigs – Oh how I always long for green at this time of year in England.

Here are some other great suppliers I like to use who still have stock and also discounts – remember tulips can be planted until February!

• Sarah Raven has a great selection and often has videos as well as beautiful photographs of each plant.

• Avon Bulbs are local to us here in the South West and a small family business, their blog pages are just rammed full of the most interesting information and expert advice.

• Wild Native Bulbs these guys are specialists in species native to the UK only if this floats your boat!

And for those of you who just want huge quantities then why not try either:

• J Parkers Dutch Bulbs based in Manchester; or

• Peter Nyssen Bulbs have a huge range and lots of colourful pictures.

Enjoy!