TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Choose bulbs that are plump, firm and dry. If they’re so… to touch they may not produce any flowers.

• The bigger the bulb of a variety, the greater the chance of big, bold blooms.

• Cover your soil with organic mulch to help deter weeds.

• If your dog loves to dig, cover the bulbs with chicken wire until the leaves start to emerge.

• If you don’t like the effect of mass planting, go random by tossing your bulbs on the ground and then planting where they land.

the right pot Try a terraco“a pot from Northcote Po“ery – it’s porous, so any excess moisture will seep through the sides. Bulbs may fail when planted on the edge of black plastic or metal pots, as they heat up and the bulbs can burn. Visit northcotepo ery. com.au.

Choose a simple pot for elaborate blooms.

Spring is the return of colour in our gardens, to be followed by lashings of greenery

15 16 15 brighten your days Welcome the return of sunshine with a jug full of white and yellow daffodils, tulips and spring-flowering mahonia, then tuck in a few twigs of cherry blossom. 16 from lawn to meadow While the daffodils bloom, the grass is still sleeping, so plant daffodil bulbs in clumps in the lawn – then you won’t need to mow for at least two months, until a…er the leaves go limp and fade to yellow.

Da odils are said to be our gardens’ happiest flower.