HIGH-ENERGY BULBS

Want something to look forward to through the long winter ahead? Plant now and you’ll be greeted by a blaze of spring colour

AS ANOTHER long British winter begins, it’s the thought of those first spring flowers pushing up through the ground that gives us something to look forward to – and hope for a fine summer to come.

So, if you want this feeling in your own garden next spring, now’s the time to get planting.

Getting bulbs into the ground now gives them a chance to charge over winter, ready to burst into spectacular colour in the new year.

Plant the right mixture and you could be looking at a kaleidoscope of colour from January all the way through to June.

And, of course, they’ll be back every year, growing and multiplying with each passing season.

So effort now means beautiful blooms for ages to come.

FLOWERING TIMES

SPRING bulbs have a range of flowering times. You can choose bulbs with different schedules for a succession of colour or pick ones which flower together for a multifaceted all-at-once display.

Crocus, Galanthus (snowdrops) and dwarf Iris

– like Iris reticulata – are all late- winter flowering, popping up in January and February so they’re among the earliest to appear.

While iris prefer full sun, crocus and galanthus like partial shade.

This makes them fantastic for underplanting beneath deciduous trees and shrubs that lose their leaves for winter, since these allow some light through to the ground come spring. Both are small, at around 10cm-15cm high, so it’s best to plant lots to make sure flowers don’t get lost. Appearing in early to mid-spring, most varieties of narcissus (daffodils), tulips and hyacinth pop up next.

If, like me, you’re a big fan of daffs and want a spring full of them you can get early-flowering varieties like ‘February Gold’ and ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’, which will flower in winter, and follow them up with March-flowering ‘Crewenna’ and April-flowering ‘Dutchmaster’ varieties. Planting in clumps of at least six will help to strengthen your display. I love lining the garden path with them as a cheerful welcome for visitors.

Finally, in late spring, alliums join the party. Most varieties of these prefer full sun so bear this in mind when planting. The pretty flowers are generally showier and larger than earlier-flowering bulbs but they still work best in clumps of several together for maximum impact.

LAYER PLANTING

NOW you know when different bulbs flower, you can put this knowledge to good use with layer planting. This enables you to plant a range of bulbs with different flowering times in a single container, without sacrificing any flower space.

To do it, take a container at least 50cm deep and plant bulbs as you would layer a lasagne. Begin by adding grit for drainage and part-filling with specialist bulb compost.Next, plant a late-flowering bulb variety like Allium sphaerocephalon (round-headed garlic).

Be sure to space bulbs correctly according to their labels then cover

Pick varieties of daffodils that flower at different times for a long-lasting display and give a golden contrast to other spring plants which come up year after year

Many plants, such as pansies and Iris, can be planted in containers and placed in areas where the garden needs a little colour boost