Best of the bunch

●● Tulip

Last year I decided I didn’t have anything like enough tulips in my garden and now I am reaping the rewards of my late autumn plantings, both in pots and in the borders.

Sizzling orange triumphs are dazzling in patio pots, almost black Tulipa ‘Queen of Night’ are coming up among burnt orange and vibrant yellow wallflowers and cool cream tulips are providing an element of calm in my semishaded front garden.

There really is a tulip for every situation, whether you prefer the showy parrot varieties, the classic majestic reds and yellows or the intricate species types which look amazing in rockeries.

Tulips should be planted in late autumn or early winter, three to four times the depth of the bulb, a few centimetres apart, in full sun and avoid wet conditions.