EARLY RISERS

If you have been wise and forward-thinking gardeners, you will have remembered to force some bulbs for Christmas and your sideboards and credenzas will be groaning with bowlfuls of heavily scented colour. No? Me neither. Oh well, I am sure we will all do much better next year.

Narcissus papyraceus ‘Ziva’

Highly scented. Will flower naturally in spring but can be forced into flower for Christmas. HxS 40cm x 10cm

Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’

Plant in autumn. Excellent in containers or at the front of borders. Propagate by lifting bulbs and potting on offsets. HxS 20cm x 5cm

Hippeastrum (Galaxy Group) ‘Red Lion’

AKA amaryllis. Bulbs can be planted now and will flower in about eight weeks. HxS 30cm x 15cm