by Janis on 15th December 2023 / 0 comments
Fingers crossed for a bloom of colour
So, I wasn’t content with planting 400 bulbs last autumn to add a wash of spring colour to our garden, so I decided this autumn to plant another 175 (give or take a couple). I even roped Gary in to help me this time.
You would think 400 bulbs were plenty for one garden; however, our garden beds are reasonably large, and as the spring months progressed, we decided there was undoubtedly room for more.
The plan was to prolong the swathe of colour for as long as many months as possible, ideally from late winter into early summer. To be perfectly honest, we didn’t do too bad.
There were Just a few that laid dormant.
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Which new spring bulbs did we choose
I’ve fallen in love with AlliumsOne slight hiccup from the bulbs I planted in autumn 2022 was that our snowdrops didn’t appear during the winter. Now, I’m not sure if I planted them too late or too deep; nonetheless, the snowdrop bulbs are still nestled under a tree, so, fingers crossed, we may be lucky this winter.
Daffodils in Bloom in ealy April
Just by chance, last autumn, I purchased a packet of 10 mixed allium bulbs; I must admit I forgot that I planted them as I didn’t buy them with the mountain of other bulbs. I picked them up from a supermarket as they were pretty reasonably priced.
Well, spring arrived, and the alliums started to make an appearance, and to our delight, they were fantastic. So, needless to say, I would buy some more in different varieties.
I purchased our bulbs from J. Parker’s; we’ve used them before, and they have a vast selection of plants and bulbs and are also reliable. An added bonus is getting a discount as a Gardeners World magazine subscriber.
Plenty of bulbs from J. Parkers
For 2024, we decided we wanted some daffodils and narcissus at the front of our cottage garden. This border lacked a little colour in early spring, so we hope that daffs will do the job.
I purchased a bag of 25 mixed daffodils, and as we spent over £50 in total at J. Parkers, they sent us a free bag of 40 daffodils and narcissus. Now that we’ve planted them all, I am really pleased about it; however, when they arrived and I realised we had even more bulbs to plant, I wasn’t as excited.
Lasagne-style planting for your pots
Inspiration from the Gardeners’ World magLast year, I was flicking through an issue of the Gardeners’ World magazine, and I read about making a ‘lasagne bulb pot’; this sounded like fun, even if I couldn’t eat it.
The idea behind the ‘lasagne method’ is to layer your bulbs through the pot to get a succession of flowers from one container across weeks, if not months.
Lasagne method planting
So, the method of planting is that you add compost in the bottom of your container, then add your late flowering bulbs, such as tulips, add further compost and place in your narcissus bulbs for mid-spring colour; then, for the third and final layer, add in your dwarf iris, which are early flowering bulbs.
Obviously, you can choose the types of spring flowers which you like to grow, but the late bloomers need to go on the lowest level.
Dwarf Iris
I tried this for the first time last season, and I must say my patio pots were a resounding success. I can’t wait to see how they turn out this coming spring.
Our spring bulb purchases
Roll on springtimeSo, which spring flowering bulbs have I bought, and when will we see the fruits of our labour?
As I mentioned, I mainly purchased alliums this autumn, so they will probably appear at a similar time. However, they should be interspersed with the bulbs from last year, and I will give you a recap on those as well.
Alliums at Standens
Galanthus Woronowii, snowdrops to you and me. These were from last season, but they never appeared; fingers crossed for January.
Flowering time - January to March
Narcissus bulbocodium Arctic Bells, these delicate nodding narcissus, were a new purchase for this year, and they look like they are going to be stunning. I’ve planted them under a tree along with our snowdrops; I can’t wait to watch these flourish.
Flowering time – March to April
Rare Dwarf Iris Collection and Crocus Species Collection, these were from last season and were stunning.
Flowering time - February to March
40 free Daffodil & Narcissus Mix; these bulbs were a freebie from J. Parker’s as we spent over £50. They will create a sunshine mix of colours and add a vibrant swathe to the front of our cottage garden border for weeks.
Flowering time – February to April
Rare Double Narcissus Collection and Hyacinth Passion Mix, were also purchases from last season. The fragrance from the hyacinth was enchanting.
Flowering time - March to April
Daffodil & Narcissus Mix, who doesn’t love daffodils in the springtime? These premium bulbs will be a wonderful addition to the garden beds and will bring a smile to our faces.
Flowering time – March to April
Relaxing Colour Tulip Collection, this tulip mix was purchased last season and was an absolute winner for late spring colour.
Flowering time - April to May
Three dusty pink tulips in a line
Allium Haarlem Superglobe Mixed, this magnificent selection of Allium Haarlem, are large globe-shaped heads of tight, spiky flowers. They vary in colour from creamy white, pink, and mauve to the deepest purple-violet and grow up to 70cm.
Flowering time – May to June
Allium Mont Blanc I don’t have any white alliums, so I can’t wait to see the large, spiky, star-like balls appear full of creamy white flowers. The Mont Blanc alliums should look stunning and grow up to 110cm in height.
Flowering time – May to June
Allium Purple Sensation is going to be another winner as they hold an Award of Garden Merit. The tight blooms will produce vivid purple heads and grow up to 80cm.
Flowering time – May to June
Allium Sphaerocephalon, these not-so-little beauties I purchased last year. I did make a bit of a mistake planting these in pots as I underestimated the height that they grew and how long they lasted. I recycle my spring pots through summer, but these little gems were still flowering through July. So, I planted around them with other summer blooms.
Flowering time - May to June
Allium Azureum are slightly later flowering than our other alliums, which is perfect as these are marginally smaller in height at 60cm. They produce vivid cornflower blue flower heads, which are very unusual.
Flowering time – June to July
So, this is our collection for 2024; I’ll update you next spring with their progress.
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