Brighten up your lawn – with bulbs
EVERY spring, many of us attempt to shake off the winter blues by visiting a garden that’s famed for its seasonal displays.
Among the features that’s likely to lift our spirits will be a plain green lawn that’s been transformed by bright swathes of daffodils, snowdrops or some other beautiful, early-flowering bulbs.
Despite being associated with gardens open to the public, anyone can perk up their lawn by planting bulbs now in time for spring.
Known to old hands as ‘naturalising’, the technique is dead easy and will result in a welcome splash of colour, delivered long before the rest of the garden gets going.
There’s no shortage of bulbs suitable for lawns. Among the best are daffodils like ‘Pheasant’s Eye’ and ‘Thalia’, along with several tulips, such as ‘Flava’ and ‘Little Princess’. The blooms of Crocus ‘Tricolor’, C. ‘Large-Flowered White’ and C. ‘Large-Flowered Blue’ aren’t just pretty, they provide pollen and nectar for bees. One of my favourite spring-flowering bulbs is Fritillaria meleagris, a British native commonly called snake’s head fritillary. Between April and May, 12in stems carry nodding, lanternlike flowers chequered with pink, purple and white markings. It likes dappled shade and is great planted under trees or on grassy banks.
Naturalising bulbs in lawns is easy and I still use a method taught to me as a young horticulturist. I take a handful out of the bag, drop from waist height and plant where they land for a natural and informal effect – move them apart if they’re too close together. Repeat the process in several areas for maximum impact.
Over the years I’ve met gardeners who are afraid that they’ll damage bulbs by releasing them from above, but in my experience the soft grass will break their fall. However, don’t be tempted to follow the advice that I read the other day to ‘toss them up in the air’ as they are likely to bruise upon landing and rot before flowering.
Unless otherwise specified, bulbs need to be planted at a depth two or three times their length. Place them in the ground with the pointed growing tip facing up and the round or flat base down.
If there isn’t an obvious up or down, set bulbs on their side and shoots will eventually find their way to the surface.
Groups of large bulbs are best set in the ground with a bulb planter – push the cylindrical blade down, twist to remove a core of soil and pop in a bulb. Crumble the removed soil over the top and replace the cap of grass. Use a rockery trowel or pointed dibber tool to plant smaller bulbs in lawns.
As for looking after bulbs, there isn’t much to do until next spring. Deadhead fading flowers to keep plants tidy, unless you are growing varieties that self-seed and want to bulk up displays. To ensure bulbs are fully recharged for the following spring, avoid mowing until foliage has completely died down.