Spring Pots: A 'Bulb Lasagne' in Flower
At this time of year there are bulbs everywhere for us to buy but which are worth it? Let's face it, we are all likely to succumb to the lure of the brightly coloured packages at some point, particularly as the weather changes and we start to remember the long (oh so long) dreary winter months after Christmas. Bulbs are the perfect antidote to our bleak winters but if we don't think carefully about our purchases, they can be a bit wasteful and the cost can build.
I like to think of bulbs as the first flowers of Spring and these early gems track progress through the dark early months of the year for me. There's a bulb flowering all through this season from the first snowdrops eagerly looked for under hedges in early January through to the alliums filling the late May colour gap before summer plants take over. Having said that though, there are some bulbs I won't be buying this autumn. Snowdrops and bluebells, both considered natives, are best settled into your garden 'in the green' or when they've just finished flowering. They may grow from dried bulbs bought at this time of year but success rates are lower. Much better to split a patch from a friend's garden next spring or buy from a reputable nursery as leafy plants.
Iris Reticulata 'Harmony'
The first bulbs to flower from those I plant are likely to be either the little iris reticulata or crocus. Both are always eagerly anticipated. I love crocus and always have from childhood. The bulbs are small (about marble size) and are therefore easy to plant, preferably in groups. I do have crocus planted in the garden in the hope that eventually they will naturalise (crocus Tommasinianus being the quickest to spread). However, crocus in the garden are best planted at the very edge of the borders to prevent them from being disturbed by digging. They need to be where you are likely to see them given that we are less likely to be roaming the whole garden regularly in early February and they don't want to be on wet soil as they could rot. Crocus are perfectly happy with very cold but their biggest enemy is birds. Are they worth the effort then? Yes, I think so but I keep my new ones to pots. They are easily added as a quick top layer to winter pots or other bulb lasagnes (pots with layers of large bulbs underneath). I prefer the pale colours to the very bright so for me Crocus 'blue pearl', 'cream beauty' and 'snow bunting' are long term favourites. Iris reticulata are another pot grown bulb here. They rarely survive in our clay soil, needing superb drainage to prevent rotting. Again a small bulb so they can be used in the same way as crocus on top of pots but these are often slightly earlier to flower and a little brighter in colour. I prefer them planted en masse with one type per pot. A shallow, wide pot is ideal. These are an annual investment for me, they don't survive until next year but they are pretty cheap to buy and so I think they're worth it. They brighten a door step in early February and are often the first deep blue flowers of the season.
Crocus ''Blue Pearl', 'Cream Beauty', 'Snow Bunting'
Spring bulbs can't be mentioned without daffodils or narcissus. There are varieties that flower as early as January and some as late as May. Traditional yellows of early Easter, new orange trumpets or the bright whites that are having a fashion moment. I think all have a place. I'm happy with the big yellow daffodils coming early and have a place in the garden where we inherited these big beasts and they're happily spreading slowly. I have plenty of miniatures which I'm fascinated by, most of which come each year and we have a sprinkling of the white ones that arrive late when I might be picking them for arrangements. The thing to remember with narcissus is that most varieties are very hardy. Once they are planted out (and remember the deeper the better here) they will last and if left undisturbed come back year after year. Therefore they are a very wise, safe investment. That said, a little forethought and planning is needed. You need to love the varieties you're going for (it's a long relationship remember) and you need to plan where to put them. A fork through the bulb each summer will surely see off the investment early. I'd go for planting fairly near the front of the border (especially for the miniatures) and in large groups. In front of a deciduous shrub is ideal. Be generous. You're not going to have to come back to these babies for some time so plant them like you mean it. There is nothing more sad than a single daffodil in Spring. For pots, I only use them as part of a bulb lasagne and the smaller headed varieties, particularly those with multi headed stems. They can be planted into the garden after flowering. My favourites for pots include: WP Milner; Minnow; Lemon Drops and Avalanche.
Floating Flowers: Various Narcissus
For a damp patch of garden that needs a lift or a shady spot that is often ignored try Camassia. These are fairly large bulbs with spires of flowers in late April through to early June. I'm a recent convert to these. Best grown en masse, they will spread slowly and often in tricky areas that we don't garden too thoroughly too. That's a win in my book. My favourites are the creamy white Camassia Leichtinii Alba which is a giant at 90cm tall and the deep blue of Camassia quamash which flowers later. A combination of the two gives interest throughout May and June and remember these last and spread too. Great value!
Camassia Leichtinii Alba
What about tulips? Tulips are having something of a renaissance in recent years and find themselves once more the height of garden fashion. But, rather like in interiors, there is a sense that pretty much anything goes in terms of colour and form. These darlings of the garden world are not the easiest bulb to deal with. They need to be planted after we've had a decent frost otherwise they run the risk of succumbing to tulip fire (a fungus which can prevent flowering and infect other tulip bulbs) the closer to Christmas the better really. It's not a pleasant prospect when it comes to that time of year, digging in freezing mud. And it's an annual event too! Tulips that we buy are primed for one very good season of flowering. Some may flower again the following year but the flowers are not likely to be as good. The bulbs often begin to produce small bulbils after flowering ready to develop new plants, these new bulbils will take several years to be ready to flower and the main bulb is weakened in the process. While I always plant out my tulips from their pots into the garden, it is luck what survives in the main. So tulips are by and large an annual investment. Taking all this into account, I generally grow my tulips in pots as part of a co-ordinated colour display. I do have some planted in the garden using varieties that are known to be long lived such as the orange lily shaped 'Ballerina' and a few of the 'green' varieties such as 'spring green'. Tulips are not cheap, but they are spectacular. The endless winter of 2021 provided one of the best flowering years for tulips and, inspired, I shall be going again with them. I do prefer the tulips with strong colours, the deep reds, oranges and purples as these contrast better against the fresh green shoots of the emerging garden in Spring. I always go for the later flowering types, finding the others to be too fleeting, battered by the bad weather. Those flowering late April/May are preferred. Despite my preference for the deep Venetian colours, I will always try to have a few La Belle Epoque, a coffee coloured tulip with a hint of dusky pink in the peony style. Plenty of froth and a long lasting, late flowered beauty that goes with so many colours. For me these are the last to go in the basket and they are certainly the treats, but I would always save some budget for a few tulips. I don't think they can be beaten.
Tulips from my own Little Tulip Festival 2021
I'm a fan of Muscari too. These little bulbs seem to come in ever increasing varieties and colours and make excellent specimens in a small pot on a table in spring. That said, there are the varieties that happily spread and self seed around the garden and I have those too. I have Muscari Armeniacum naturalised in two parts of the garden each creating a deep blue sea in March. A very welcome sight.
Sea of Naturalising Muscari
Hyacinths. I'm a recent convert to these. I'll be honest I was always put off by their rather heavy smell and their slightly over blousy appearance. But, in a garden setting (rather than inside)the smell is rather nice wafting on the March winds. The big blooms are certainly eye-catching in the border which is not such a bad thing in early March. I prefer to plant these large bulbs in shallow pots and enjoy them on tables near the windows outside in their first year. But I am sure to plant them out in the garden afterwards as these bulbs are tough and pretty long lasting. Although the flowers are not as compact in the second and third years, they are reliably there. Making these bulbs well worth their value.
Striking White Hyacinths on the Table
Alliums are fantastic gap fillers and the last of what I call the Spring bulbs. They appear after the tulip mania and before the rest of the garden gets fully going in early Summer. These large bulbs can be planted singly but are best planted across one area or border for the best impact. The flowers are purple orbs standing almost a metre high. With a bit of careful variety selection, alliums can be flowering from May through to July. I think it's well worth the effort to make this happen. My staple favourite is probably the deepest purple, allium 'purple sensation' which is followed by 'christophi' a slightly bigger, shaggier shape and then there's the huge headed 'Shuberti' which is just like a firework. 'Violet Beauty' is often the last of the group to flower. I leave the flowers to dry naturally in the garden and keep them for Autumn and Christmas arrangements. With such a long season of interest, there is great value here. The bulbs last a fairly long time in the garden too, requiring a top up every other year but certainly some last longer and often self seeding occurs. From seed to flower can be quite lengthy but we do have some now happily flowering from seed.
Allium 'Purple Sensation' In the Border
What about the rest of the bulb offerings? There are many other small bulbs on offer, many with long complicated names. I've seen them looking lovely in various gardens at various times throughout spring. I sometimes look and think I'll remember that one but to be honest I think you can't go much wrong with the beauties I've described.