Plant time bomb of spring colour

BULBS are scent and colour time bombs just waiting to explode in your garden after their big sleep.

Best of all, simply pop them in the soil now and forget about them until they surprise you with a succession of stunning blooms.

One of the most popular ideas is to scatter bulbs such as daffodils or narcissus liberally across the lawn so they appear by magic, as if nature planted them.

Like most springflowering bulbs, they prefer light shade to full sunshine, so ideally choose a site that provides six to ten hours of direct light per day and, most importantly, an area of lawn that can be left uncut until June when the foliage has died back.

You can use a bulb planter or trowel to sew individual bulbs or simply skim off the turf and plant lots. Whatever you decide, make sure the bulbs are covered with twice their depth in soil and plant them close but not touching. Replace the turf after planting. If you want a big imposing plant for your borders, little can beat crown imperial or Fritillaria imperialis. This is a statuesque plant that is topped by a cluster of large, nodding flowers filled with glistening drops of sweet nectar and crowned with a tuft of foliage. The yellow variety Lutea is one of the brightest and biggest, carrying up to ten flowers.

For maximum impact, partner them with flowers in a contrasting colour such as a pool of blue grape hyacinths.

But be careful where you grow crown imperials, as the whole plant has a strong foxy smell.

The distinctive tufty bright blue head of grape hyacinth resembles Marge Simpson’s hairdo so there’s much to admire.

Also known as muscari, it not only looks fabulous growing on its own, it’s even better in a crowd and can be used effectively to create ribbon edges to beds or simulate rivers running through the borders.

The blooms can also be cut for the vase so pack them in. Anemones or windflowers also make excellent cut flowers and come in white and several shades of blue and red.

Grow the St Brigid strain if you like petal-packed double flowers or De Caan if you prefer something less flamboyant.

Autumn planting gives blooms in March and April or use successive planting for blooms throughout the year. For winter flowers, it’s best to protect the rows with cloches.