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GARDEN ADVICE

How to Choose & Grow Spring Flowering Bulbs

New season's bulbs come into the garden centres from mid August. The earlier you buy them the fresher they are and there will be a greater selection to choose from. Size matters in the bulb world. Top grade bulbs are larger and will produce better blooms. Avoid small shrivelled or mouldy looking bulbs and those which show any evidence of having been attacked by small flies.

The key to a successful spring display is to banish all thoughts of trendy minimalism and go for something of a splash. Bulbs look best planted in generous clumps rather than dotted around and you do need quite a few for a meaningful display. There are bulbs for all situations, from naturalising in grass to borders, pots and window boxes and even for indoors. From the first Snowdrops to the last Tulips and Anenomes, they will flower for almost five months, at least into May. Bulbs make a particularly good combination with winter pansies, wallflowers and forget-me-nots.

Make sure that you plant the bulbs deep enough (the packet will indicate the planting depth). If not the result will be adequate in the first year but may be disappointing thereafter. This is a particular issue with tulips which require a planting depth of about 15 cms.

Daffodils are a spring essential that should not be overlooked. They are easy to grow, reliable and make a splendid sight. An informal mixed display of daffodils looks particularly good naturalised in a verge or woodland setting but in the garden I prefer clumps of one particular variety. This also opens up the possibility of a succession of flowers if you choose for example Golden Harvest or Ice Follies for an early flush followed by Golden Ducat for the mid season and perhaps White Lion for later flowering

Miniature Narcissi with their dainty flowers are also very appealing. Tete a Tete (20 cms yellow) is probably the best known but there are many others to choose from.

For something truly sophisticated, straight from the set of Mozart's Magic Flute, try the "Queen of the Night". I do not quite know how to describe the colour of this remarkable tulip other than to say that it is a mix of claret, purple and a touch of glossy black. Queen of the Night is a late flowering tulip that grows to about 12cm. For something less dramatic but more dainty try Tulip Turkestanica. The variety has cream petals and a flower that more closely resembles a Lily than a Tulip. It flowers in March or April and grows to only 7 or 8 cm.

The Snakeshead Fritillaria have been popular for some years and rightly so. Their stately relative is the Fritillaria Imperialis which is a magnificent plant. It has a crown of flowers borne on tall stems. The flowers literally ooze with nectar and make a splendid sight in the border. There are bright yellow varieties to make a splash but I prefer the more subtle red hue of Fritillaria Imperialis "Rubra".

Crocus are lovely and for something unusual choose Crocus sativus. At first glance it looks like another purple crocus with a quite open splay of petals but when you look more closely you will spot pollen laden anthers and the most wonderful orange style and stigma (female part of the flower that collects the pollen) that seem to fall out of the crocus flower like a ribbon.

Alliums are something else entirely; from the dwarf to the giant they are elegant, structural and very 'now'. They have been ubiquitous at the Chelsea Flower Show for the last few years and for very good reason. They are easy to grow, the flowers last for ages and afterwards the seed heads are also very attractive. A sophisticated choice for any garden.

When growing bulbs in pots, tubs or window boxes choose a container at least 30cm deep and plant the bulbs deeper than you would in the garden. Always make sure the container has drainage holes or the bulbs will get water logged. Daffodils can be grown in containers for many years. Tulips and Hyacinths are generally only good in a container the first year and should then be planted out in the garden.

If you want to keep Daffodils in the container for the following year it is important to feed the bulb while the foliage is still green as it will have used much of its food store.

When buying bulbs look for a note on the packet which says they are grown from cultivated stock.