Make a bulb lasagne ( To grow, not to eat)
PLANTING BULBS IN LAYERS MEANS MORE FLOWERS FOR LONGER — AN IDEA WE CAN THOROUGHLY GET BEHIND
Abulb lasagne is basically like a lasagne because it has layers. It’s a really brilliant way of planting bulbs in a pot. The smallest, earliest bulbs go on the top; then slightly bigger, later bulbs go underneath. The growth of the bottom layer hits the bulb above, curves around it and carries on.
You can cram in a lot of different layers, and autumn is the ideal time to plant bulbs. Crocuses make a good top layer, then a scented narcissus such as ‘Pueblo’ below, and on the bottom, two tulips: ‘Orange Princess’ has a double form, and ‘Black Parrot’ is a glamorous, purple tulip. The crocuses will flower in February and March, the narcissus in April, then tulips in late April/May. As the foliage of one dies back, the next layer comes up, covers it, then flowers.
An alternative is to plant Anemone ‘ White Splendour’ on the top, then two tulips of different heights and colours that flower at the same time beneath – ‘Tropical Lady’ has pink petals and goes beautifully with the white feathery flowers and striped leaves of ‘Harbour Lights’.
Although a lot of the bulbs may flower for a second season, a bulb lasagne is best viewed as a one-off to plant afresh each autumn.
Sarah Raven’s bulb lasagne You will need:
A big pot, such as a long tom Multi-purpose compost Horticultural grit Tulip ‘Orange Princess’ bulbs Tulip ‘Black Parrot’ bulbs Narcissus ‘Pueblo’ bulbs Mix of crocus bulbs
1 If you are planting up in the kitchen, lay a couple of sheets of newspaper down on the table to keep things tidy. Put a few broken crocks in the bottom of the pot to help drainage. If the compost is a bit lumpy, break it up a bit. I use a non-peat, multi-purpose compost and mix it with a bit of horticultural grit – about ¾ compost to ¼ grit. I also throw a handful of comfrey pellets in to feed the bulbs.
2 Fill a good-sized pot – a big long tom is perfect because it’s deep – with the grit and compost mix to a depth of about 20cm, then add the first layer of bulbs, in this case, the ‘Orange Princess’ and ‘Black Parrot’ tulips. Plant pointy end up. Mix them up and plant them closer together than you would in the ground to get a really intense display. Cover with a loose layer of the grit and compost mix.
3 Add a layer of narcissus, packing them in fairly tightly. 10-12 bulbs is a good number.
4 Add another layer of the grit and compost mix and plant the crocus. Try a mixture of colours, including ‘Snow Bunting’, which is a lovely white, ‘Cream Beauty’, cream with an orange centre, and ‘Blue Pearl’, which is a very soft, pale blue. As they’re tiny, you can add more: about 30 is right, packed in so they’re almost touching. Don’t fill the compost right to the top as you’ll need room for water. Just tap the compost down a bit, then top with a bit of horticultural grit to finish it off. Water the pot.
5 If you have a greenhouse, put the pot in there to ‘force’ the crocus to flower a little earlier than they would naturally. Once the flowers start to appear, bring the pot outside. If you don’t have a greenhouse, don’t worry – it will still work but the bulbs will bloom a little later.