Bulbs to light up autumn

EVERYBODY knows of springflowering bulbs, but there’s a lesserknown group that will add a pop of colour to gardens later in the year.

Known simply as autumn-flowering bulbs, there are a host of beauties available in garden centres and from online specialists right now, ready to bloom within a few weeks of being planted.

Among those sold ready bagged or in pick-and-mix style boxes will be autumn crocus, autumn daffodil (Sternbergia), autumn snowflake (Acis autumnalis) and scilla. Despite their generic name, not all are true bulbs – the group also includes plants that grow from other underground storage organs, like tubers and corms.

Colchicums are the undoubted glamour girls of the group with pink or white, goblet-shaped blooms that appear on long stalks between September and November, depending on which you grow. My favourite is Colchicum graceum ‘Harlekijn’, pictured, with its violet and white flowers shaped like a jester’s hat.

Most autumn-flowering bulbs have an unusual life cycle. After planting in late summer, plants produce flowers on bare stems without leaves. A clump of foliage will appear in spring before dying back in early summer. At this point the plant enters a short period of dormancy before flowering again in the autumn.

Late-flowering bulbs like a sunny spot and well-drained soil. They are ideal for growing at the front of beds and borders, setting under trees and shrubs, placing alongside paths and dotting into rock gardens. Another option would be to grow them in patio planters, either on their own or as part of an arrangement.

Set scillas 3in deep and autumn daffodils 5in deep. Plant colchicums 4in deep (wear gloves as corms are toxic) and others at a depth of three times their own length. For an impressive display, arrange in groups of three or more, spacing them at least twice the bulb’s own width apart. Colchicums and crocus are excellent for naturalising in grass. Aim to mimic the informal way bulbs grow in the wild, rather than planting in neat rows. For a natural-looking display, take a handful of bulbs and drop them from waist height, planting them where they land.