As growth slows down in the garden we can stand back and
admire our achievements this year.
Shrub forms maturing, luscious bedding plant displays
brightening up dull corners after being watered daily, the perfectly maintained
veggie patch and the beautifully manicured lawn.
OK, I’ll stop dreaming now.
At the beginning of the growing year that’s how we mostly expect the
season to progress, keeping on top of things.
If you are anything like me this only lasts a couple of
weeks early on. Next time I look at the
garden its gone wild. Pea and bean supports have collapsed, I have courgettes
the size of small Zeppelins and as tough as leather, the pots and containers
now only support weeds as the bedding plants in pots have died from neglect and
toppled over. The lawn edges are so long air traffic control should be
notified.
It’s all good though and I’ll probably just leave everything
until spring before I tidy as long as nothing flops onto the paths. There’s
debate every year whether to clear up or leave dead plant growth and old seed
heads. I tend to leave everything as I think it’s lovely to look at, holds the
soil together and is a bit of a haven for overwintering insects and wildlife.
It also means nature does most of the work, which is fine by me.
One job that can be done this time of year is to plant a few
bulbs for next spring. Forward planning is probably one of the most challenging
things I do in the garden as I’m generally a “live for today” sort of person
who generally doesn’t plan much further than his next meal.
If you are organized then let’s take a look at what bulbs we
can put in the ground now for a splash of spring colour.
Plant Bulbs in Autumn
for Spring Colour
Spring flowers popping up signals the rebirth of the garden
and the start of a new growing season. Nothing lifts the spirits after a long,
dark winter more than the sight of the first daffodils opening up.
Autumn is perfect for planting bulbs as the soil is still
warm. This will allow them to develop their root system, which in turn allows
them to flower in spring rather than summer.
September is the time for buying bulbs as a lot of them will
be reduced because the garden centres need to clear them out fir winter stock. October is the optimum time for daffodils;
November for tulips. So this year we are well ahead of the game.
Top Tips
- When buying bulbs, reject any that are soft or showing signs of mould. Small bulbs may not flower in their first year.
- Bulbs should be planted in holes three to four times as deep as the bulb itself. So, for example, a 1in crocus bulb needs to be planted in a hole 3-4in deep.
- If you are not sure which way up a bulb should go, plant it on its side: its stem will find its own way up.
- Plant pots and window boxes with no more than two layers of bulbs to prevent the unsightly spectacle of later-flowering plants appearing through the dying foliage of earlier ones.
Once you’ve chosen a variety of bulbs that you like, plant
them haphazardly in amongst your borders for a beautifully undone look come
spring, or organise them neatly into a layered display for a more dazzling
effect or put them in pots to plant out into the garden as they flower.
In Pots
Fill large plastic pots with your favourite bulbs and, just
before they are about to flower, use them to plug holes in the border. Plastic
pots can also be slipped inside more elegant terracotta ones and whipped out
when the bulbs are over. I generally store the pots behind the shed to allow
the foliage to die down. This can be
done year after year with a bit of top dressing and weed control.
Bulbs in Hedges
The dry conditions at the base of hedges make ideal growing
conditions for many bulbs. Tulips will be very happy on the south-facing side
of a hedge, and can be left undisturbed for years. On the shady side of the hedge, encourage
carpets of Anemone blanda for a trouble
free ground cover.
On their Own
Eighteenth-century gardeners planted tulips individually,
the better to appreciate their beauty. Bulbs planted singly in small terracotta
pots and placed in an ordered manner around the garden bring instant elegance
and formality. Lily-flowered tulips, Fritillaria persica or large-flowered
alliums give a simple minimalist display.
