Plant dormant bulbs now for autumn displays

Plant autumn-flowering bulbs now while they are still dormant. Prepare the area by clearing weeds and forking through the soil if it is compacted. Use a trowel to make planting holes and add some coarse grit with a little general fertiliser to the bottom for bulbs such as nerines and sternbergia, the autumn daffodil.

Put the nerines in a sunny spot with their necks just above the soil surface. The little yellow sternbergia is also best with sun and shelter, but plant them at a depth of 6-8cm, 10cm apart, and water sparingly. Mulch the area with a layer of grit to prevent the bulbs from rotting. Colchicums, the autumn crocus, can also be planted now in holes 8-10cm deep and 15cm apart, but this time in humus-rich soil.

For a natural-looking display, plant bulbs in groups of three or five rather than individually or in rows