Gardening: Casting pearls of beauty
Planting early bulbs will bring a wonderful display of fresh colour to the garden, says Adrienne Wild
Although it’s still chilly outside, there’s plenty to look forward to as we move closer to spring – and bulbs can always be relied on to create a heartlifting splash of colour.
Sensational snowdrops
Honey-scented snowdrops create jaw-dropping displays on crisp winter days, and look beautiful teamed with violas and aconites, which have golden petals surrounded by a frilly collar of green leaves.
When planted en masse, snowdrops really pack a punch when breaking through frosted leaf litter or snow under trees and shrubs.
Snowdrops are excellent for naturalising in the lawn, but they’ll also grow happily in patio pots, producing
flowers that will dance on even the coldest of breezes.
While you can plant snowdrops as bulbs in autumn, it’s best to wait until
after they’ve finished flowering and buy them ‘in the green’ from mail order nurseries.
For the most impressive display and a succession of blooms, buy Galanthus elwesii and the common double snowdrop Galanthus nivalis
‘Flore Pleno’. Plant them in bold drifts along with golden aconites, bright pink-coloured Cyclamen coum, primroses
and clumps of Narcissus dwarf in a woodland border.
Dot the Turkish snowdrop,
Galanthus elwesii, which thrives in dry soil, around the base of mature trees or squeeze them into tiny gaps between rockery stones.
Spring show
Early-rising snowdrops are quickly followed by irises, crocus and daffodils and eventually tulips, alliums and bluebells. These are bulbs that need to be planted in autumn – unless you buy potted bulbs in bud to create a ready-made spring garden.
There are also plenty of daffodil or narcissus varieties
to flower in succession from February through to May, although you may be lucky
and have Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’, producing its big golden trumpets from early January onwards. Reliable as the earliest
flowering is the golden yellow Narcissus cyclamineus
‘Peeping Tom’. The last of the narcissus to bloom is the highly fragrant Narcissus poeticus var recurvus ‘Old Pheasant Eye’, which pops its buds in late May. Don’t let names such as that given to ‘February Gold’ fool you, for
this variety actually flowers in March – so always check the label.
Also be sure you check the plant’s eventual height as many are dwarf varieties, only 15-20cm tall, and best suited to patio pots and window boxes. Some of the best ‘diddy‘ daffodils are the multiheaded golden ‘Tête-à-Tête’, and the shaggy
flowered ‘Rip van
Winkle’. Also try the scented ‘Baby Moon’ that has buttercup-yellow blooms.
Cheerful crocus
With hundreds of varieties to choose from, it’s no wonder the crocus is so popular. Crocus ‘Pickwick’ is a
first-rate choice for planting in pots. Its white flowers are heavily striped with pale and dark lilac, and have a dark purple base. For something a bit different, add Crocus
ancyrensis ‘Golden Bunch’ to
your autumn planting list. These have scented yellow blooms with a tangerine interior, that appear just when bees are beginning to stir and looking for a sip of sweet nectar and pollen.
Viola cornuta have a big personality with smiling faces, sweet fragrance and a sunny disposition. Team viola with Muscari armeniacum
‘Valerie Finnis’ and Narcissus
‘Hawera’ for a mid-to-late spring splash of colour.