INSTANT SOLUTIONS TO FILL GAPS

Whenever I plant bulbs, I always try to have a few ‘leftovers’ that I plant in plastic pots and keep to one side. Just as they come into flower, I sink the pot in gaps in beds, borders and containers for instant flowers! When they fade, replace them with a laterflowering variety to extend the season. This is also one of the best ways to grow tulips if you plant them where you intend to grow summer bedding plants. As tulips need a warm, dryish dormancy over summer, they’ll deteriorate if left in the soil over summer – since you’ll be watering your bedding plants – and will need lifting after the foliage dies down. As long as you water and feed them after flowering and allow the foliage to die down naturally, you can bring them back out again the following year.