Bulbs

‘Tis the season for planting your bulbs if you want some pretty flowers come Spring and you know how I like to be organised! There are rows and rows of daffodil, allium, tulip and hyacinth bulbs in every supermarket, garden centre and petrol station at the moment. The joy of all this abundance means the shops get competitive with their pricing. You should be able to pick up a generous bag of bulbs for under a fiver.

I’ve never been a big bulb person. I love the flowers but when they die I don’t like the mess. You’re supposed to let them die off at their own pace, letting all the energy go back into the bulb and then dig them up and store them and all that nonsense… I simply don’t have the patience. But last year my nephew planted some daffodil bulbs in my garden and I planted some globemaster alliums. I got so excited when they came up it was absurd. So now I’m somewhat converted. But there are still rules. I’ll only plant them at the edge of the patio – so I can see them through the glass kitchen doors but the rest must be in pots. Then when they start looking grotty I can hide them at the bottom of the garden. 

So far I have planted a smattering of alliums – “Kings & Queens” – on the left hand side. These will pop up in between my hydrangeas and the globemasters. 

Alliums “Kings & Queens”

On the right I’ve planted some pink double daffodils. These will be circling my ceanothus.

Narcissus Replete

I’ve also planted some pink fringed tulips that I forgot the name of in a couple of terracotta pots. They’ll sit next to my potted purple Hebes. 

All ready!

I spent most of Sunday planting the bulbs and tidying up the garden. I’m very much a fair weather gardener so for the next couple of weeks I’ll be doing all the necessary pruning and cutting back before it gets too cold and wet. My mother calls this “putting the garden to bed for the winter” which I love.