Planting a summer container
The right conditions will see bulbs perform for years
CONSIDERING they give so much pleasure and will potentially provide months of beauty for years on end, bulbs are incredibly easy to plant.
For the best results, choose a sunny place with free-draining soil that has been enriched with well-rotted compost or manure. Dappled shade won’t harm, and may help the flowers to last longer in summer’s brilliant sunshine, but most don’t take kindly to deep shade.
Bulbs can either be planted singly in groups of individual holes or you can dig a trench and plant several at the same time. Whichever method you favour, place them pointed end up at 2-3 times their own depth and a bulb’s width apart.
Some plants, such as anemone, don’t have corms with a ‘pointy’ end. Instead, their bulbs look like little shrivelled bits of wood. So don’t worry, these can be planted however they fall, as they will still grow the ‘right way round’.
Keep the planting area free of cat disturbance by laying tips over the surface or by spraying with a harmless animal deterrent. When the young growth appears, protect it from pests and specially watch for lily beetles – red insects that can strip a plant of foliage. Grazers G4 is a good, organic deterrent.
I also like to start off plants for the summer’s containers and hanging baskets now too.
Tuberous begonias are perennially popular and easy to grow from scratch. Simply settle their tubers, hollow side up, on pots of multipurpose compost and either cover them with a little compost or leave their tops exposed to sunlight.
Dampen the compost, keeping the tuber dry, and set on a warm, sunny windowsill. Shoots will appear within a few weeks and the plants can be grown on, hardened off and added to patio pots or baskets.