PLANT OF THE WEEK

This is one of the more glamorous early-flowering spring bulbs, with varieties in shades of blue, violet and purple.

Dry bulbs appear on sale in the autumn and are excellent for planting in pots, troughs and tubs or raised beds.

They do best in well-drained conditions and bright sheltered places, where the same bulbs will often keep coming up again and again for several years.

Alternatively, you can buy ready-grown plants in pots in early spring, when they first come into flower, and sink the pots into a container filled with compost to use as an instant display.

If buying now, choose plants in bud, where the colour is just showing, or with flowers that are not quite fully open, so they last well.

Avoid placing them in exposed, windy areas. When they are finished, tip the plants out of their pots, plant them out and you should have a further show next year.