Bulbs
March
Remember to pinch out faded narcissus and spring flowering heads as they occur as you don’t want seeds forming in the plant as this will weaken the quality of bloom the following year or even give rise to blind growth. Never tie or bend the greenery once flowering has finished as this will limit the amount of nutrients returning to the bulb for healthy growth next year. I understand this can be frustrating as the floppy, dying leaves can look so untidy, but think about the goodness you are allowing to flow back into the bulb and those 5-6 weeks will fly by!
October
In October, start planting up spring bulbs ensuring they’re planted to a depth of at least twice the length of the bulb as this gives a stronger hold in the ground once the plant starts to form. Scatter some bulb fibre around in the base of each hole, push well in, cover and water. Plant in drifts and clumps here, there and everywhere to give a natural flow throughout the garden. I always think that, unlike perennial beds, there needn’t be any structure to spring bulbs – some people just throw handfuls and plant where they land. Excellent idea!
Once all your spring bulbs have been planted, attention can turn to tulips which are better left until the end of the month. Tulips need good sunlight, so choose your site well and try to avoid planting in deep herbaceous borders as other plants with strong foliage will kill them off; Iris are a good bedfellow as they like similar conditions and both could then stay in position for many years. Make sure you lay a good spread of grit into the bottom of a trench or holes where the bulbs are to be planted as tulips do not like their feet staying too wet and that they are planted at least twice their depth in the ground.
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.