Now is the time to plant bulbs for spring
With summer rapidly disappearing into the distance, we’re now at the time of year at which many gardeners plant their spring bulbs. Doing so allows you to look forward to a real splash of colour in your garden by next year. Here at the leading seeds online store Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk), we offer the likes of delicate blue sprays that can be interplanted with tulips or wallflowers, as well as aubrietia purple cascade flowers that are an amazing accompaniment to spring bulbs when scrambling over a low wall.
As is the case with cheap seeds, timing is everything when it comes to spring bulbs. If your summer pots are already looking tired, then you may wish to give yourself a head start by getting rid of the summer bedding and immediately filling each container with spring bulbs. They tend to be better suited to containers rather than the ground where you may have planted your mail order seeds, as this makes drainage control easier and gives you the option of planting them in the gritty compost that makes them more likely to succeed.
You should have ideally planted any crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths before the end of September, although planting them later remains an option. Tulips won’t root well without a lower temperature, however, which is why you should wait until late October or November to plant them. Planting in reduced temperatures helps to ward off tulip blight, or Botrytis Tulipae, which is a fungal disease that can give leaves lesions or cause the bulbs to rot.
When the time comes to plant your bulbs, crocks should be placed at the bottom of the pot, prior to the addition of 15cm of multi-purpose compost with bulb fibre. You can then proceed with the layering by nestling bulbs that will be later to flower into the compost’s surface and introducing new compost so that the bulbs are covered or the tips are left showing.
Although putting the pots by the house is a good idea when the winter months arrive, you don’t want them to become sodden if you choose to leave them outside. You’ll need to strike an appropriate balance, as although you won’t want the pots to dry out and cause stunted growth and easily wilting flowers, it is also desirable to have the pots stood on feet so that the moisture can drain through. February onwards is a good time to expose them to the elements to avoid them drying out. Once the bulbs flower, they will need to be watered every two days.
Don’t be afraid of planting bigger bulbs in correspondingly larger pots rather than simply opting for the dwarf variety, as this approach can result in an amazing display provided that you have sheltered the bulbs from the worst winds. And of course, feel free to browse the complete range of flower seeds on sale at http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk for more fine gardening ideas for the coming year.
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