Bulbs bring spectacular colour to gardens across the seasons and they are ever breathtaking wherever they grow. And your garden can be one of these displays, especially in spring.
Cherry daffodils, elegant tulips, demure snowdrops and swoon-worthy ranunculus –there are bulbs to suit every style and growing condition. A container of miniature bulbs can brighten the tiniest space, while dramatic tulips take centre stage in the grandest borders. Late autumn, once soil temperatures have cooled, is the ideal time for you to plant.
"Time for you to prepare and plant now"
Ranunculus (Ranunculus)
As a cut flower, ranunculus is hard to beat. One of the most rewarding spring bulbs to grow, ranunculus is renowned for its bountiful flower display. Each tiny corm (bulb) will produce up to ten blooms. The flowers are packed full of petals, romantic, perfect for picking; ask any cut flower farm! The Biancheri family of San Remo, Italy, has been breeding anemones and ranunculus since the 1800s. Still family-run, they produce some of the finest blooms in the world, prized by both the cut flower and nursery industries. Each tuber yields at least ten fully double, long-lasting flowers. Sold as Renaissance Ranunculus (from Tesselaar) and Primo (from Van Diemens Quality Bulbs), they represent decades of meticulous breeding for quality, consistency and an extraordinary colour range.
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Plant the ‘octopus-like’ corms in autumn, into a nutrient-rich, well-drained garden bed. By the time spring rolls around, you will be picking the blooms. Ranunculus take around 10-12 weeks from planting to blooming time, faster in warm weather.
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Pick the flowers regularly and lucky you – you will be rewarded with more flowers as a result
Daffodils (Narcissus)
Daffodils are easy-to-grow bulbs with blooms that announce the arrival of spring with their cheerful display. They are a symbol of renewal and hope and some daffodils (jonquils) are fragrant and multiply readily. With adequate feeding, your clumps will flower every year. Many varieties are reliably long-lived and low maintenance, in the garden and in pots. Yellow is the most common colour for daffodils but they also bloom in white, cream, orange and pink. By planting an assortment you can enjoy 4-6 weeks of these beautiful blooms for every spring.
DAFFODIL ‘THALIA’
Above, this miniature white daffodil with white petals and open, wavy corona is fragrant and produces multiple flowers on each stem, making an impressive display in the garden and in pots.
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Plant miniature daffodil bulbs three times as deep as the bulb is high, with the pointed end up. This depth will help to protect them from summer heat and give strength for the stem.
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Space your Thalia daffodils 10-20cm apart, wider spacing if leaving bulbs to naturalise, closer for a denser display. Plant two or three bulbs per hole for instant impact
"Growing bulbs is foolproof! The flower embryo inside each bulb will go through its cycle without any help from you"
DAFFODIL ‘HIGH SOCIETY’
This impressive variety produces large, elegant blooms with creamy white petals surrounding a soft yellow cup rimmed in bright pink. Tall, sturdy stems hold the flowers well above the foliage level.
DAFFODIL ‘GERANIUM’
Above, ‘Geranium’ is a stunning perennial daffodil growing to 35cm, with narrow, dark glaucous green leaves and clusters of six fragrant white flowers on each stem, each one with a deep orange-red cup.
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Tulip (Tulipa)
Tulips are jewels in the garden and in pots. They are the superstars of spring, taking centre stage like no other flower. Parrot tulips are the most exotic of all tulips. Every bloom is a masterpiece! They're broader than other types of tulips, with fringes, ruffles, puckers and dimples. All this texture gives the already large flowers even more volume. As blooms mature, the petals twist, so each flower develops its own unique personality. These extroverted tulips beg to be admired up close. They're fun to photograph and are fabulous when placed in vases.
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A simple way to remember when to plant your tulipsis to plant around Mother's Day when your soil has cooled sufficiently for planting.
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Plant a range of early-, mid- and late-flowering tulips to enjoy a lasting and changing display.
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Plant your tulips closely in a triangle shape to create a full bouquet effect in the garden.
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Tulips in pots
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STEP 1: Choose a large terracotta pot, approximately 75cm diameter. Place in a sunny spot on a pot stand. Fill halfway with good quality potting soil combined with plenty of horticultural sand and few handfuls of course grit.
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STEP 2: Place tulips in a single layer, around 75-80 bulbs.This gives your tulips plenty of root space.
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STEP 3: Fill to brim with same potting mix. Plant pansies over the top. Each tulip will flower.
Snowflake (Leucojum)
Spring wouldn’t be spring without snowflakes. They are the first bulb to flower, usually in late winter. If you live with very cold winter, you can grow equally charming snowdrops (Galanthus). Both snow drops and snowflakes produce pendulous, pure white, bell-shaped flowers, decorated with lime green accents and dangle in clusters from arching stems. They are exquisite beneath large deciduous trees where winter sun encourages good flowering.
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The bulbs are reliably perennial, you can expect them to bloom every spring for years to come. Leucojum will grow and bloom in sun or partial shade. It’s not fussy about soil conditions and will tolerate acidic, neutral or alkaline soils.
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The bulbs need moisture early in the growing season but when they are dormant during summer months, the soil can be quite dry. Avoid soggy soil which encourages rot.
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Mulching with compost will feed the bulbs, improve the soil and help control weeds.
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These plants use their foliage to produce energy for next year's flowers, like other spring-blooming bulbs. After flowering, let the foliage die back naturally, usually about six weeks later.
8 TIPS FOR BULB PLANTING
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Plant bulbs in large drifts, don’t skimp!
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In warm gardens, plant your bulbs deep to keep them cool.
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Feed your bulbs four times in their growth cycle: at planting time, as the leaves emerge, as the flowers open, and as the foliage dies down. This nutrient-rich bulb food will encourage your bulbs to reflower every year.
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Don’t fuss at planting time, dig a wide hole, not too deep, and toss them in, you'll find they will sort themselves out.
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Give them plenty of sunshine. They love it!
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All bulbs need good drainage: add horticultural sand and grit to your garden beds and mix thoroughly into your soil before planting bulbs.
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Top dress with compost or aged manure.
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Allow leaves to die back after flowering. Don’t be tempted to remove untidy foliage
Where to buy
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