Bright bulbs
CROCUSES AND DWARF NARCISSI ADD INSTANT COLOUR TO YOUR GARDEN, SO INVEST IN SOME POTTED BULBS NOW
SURELY nobody could ever have a bad word to say about bulbs?
You bung them in during autumn, forget about them completely and up they pop in spring, bursting into bloom. They are the gardener’s perk – getting on with it in spite of our ministrations rather than because of them.
But if there is one irritating thing about bulbs it is that only when they flower can you see where your gaps are, and by then it is too late.
The good news is you can buy plots of them in flower – ‘Tete-atete’ narcissi and crocuses are sold in bloom for that very purpose – although such a way of planting is relatively expensive.
If you do fancy adding a few potted bulbs to your garden, soak them first, knock them out of their pots and bury them deeper than is suggested by looking at the surface of the compost (make sure it is a good 2ins below the surface of the soil) even if it means burying some of the foliage.
That way the bulbs stand a better chance of flowering year after year.
There is another neat way of remembering where these gaps are.
Arm yourself with a few short sticks (a bamboo cane cut into 6in lengths is suitable) and paint the top of them in a coloured paint.
Push these into the soil where you think that a clump of bulbs would look good next year and forget about the canes until autumn when you can seek them out and replace them with your chosen variety.
It may sound a bit odd, but the canes are relatively inoffensive during the summer and yet easy to find in autumn.
I did it a couple of years ago and found it really worthwhile.
But for now you can add colour to your garden in the form of potted bulbs that are arranged in groups in large bowls.
Buy dwarf narcissi, crocuses, snowdrops, cyclamen and dwarf irises and group them together in a terracotta dish on the doorstep.
Surround them with moss or gravel and they will be a welcome sight every time you come home.