Gardening: Time to get planting the spring bulbs

Daffodils are still considered to be the spring-flowering bulb. As with crocuses, they are at their best when in numbers; plus, they come in an amazing number of sizes, shapes and colours. If possible, plant them before the end of this month.

Tulips are a little bit special - there are numerous colours and varieties from which to choose, from miniatures to giants. Plus, they can look stunning in containers. Unlike daffodils, tulips are best planted later in autumn – even in November (as long as the soil isn’t waterlogged or frozen).

Hyacinths are a bit more of an acquired taste. Their stunningly-scented blooms are unsurpassed for fragrance. Like daffodils, they should be planted in early autumn to flower in March and April. Some varieties can be grown indoors for Christmas flowering.

Irises come in a number of sizes and colours – from the dwarf spring varieties to the tall bearded forms that do so much to enhance May. Plant the in a sunny site as soon as you can.

Winter aconites are miniatures stars in their own right – their dazzling golden blooms defy winter to do its worst. These low-lying bulbs make look delicate but they are extremely tough. The best time to plant is when bulbs are ‘in the green’ with foliage still attached.

Snowdrop XHEAD

The humble snowdrop deserves a special position in the list of spring bulbs.

It may be smaller and less vibrant than the likes of tulips and daffodils but Galanthus is much-loved and can often be in flower to greet the new year.

And unlike many of its bigger spring brethren, it is forgotten as soon as its flowering days are over.

Whereas tall flowers leave behind the problem of tatty foliage, snowdrops become inconspicuous after the last flower fades, and they are so often tucked away in corners and beneath shrubs and trees, that they becomes an instant, distant memory.

The thoughtful gardener will, however, never forget anything which can put on a brave face when winter is doing its worst. And in a few weeks, that same thoughtful gardener may well be preparing to plant even more snowdrops.

Strange though it may seem, clumps of Galanthus bulbs, lifted and planted immediately after they have finished flowering, will fare far better than the wrinkled, dry bulbs which are offered for sale in autumn.

These take time to acclimatize, whereas bulbs planted in March – ‘in the green’, which is a way of saying they have finished blooming but are still heavy with foliage – will carry on as though nothing has disturbed their world.

For that reason, many gardeners watch until the final flower has bloomed, then they dash out, lift and divide clumps, and replant them. It's a cheap, easy way of propagating the species and ensuring an even better display of flowers next year.

Snowdrops like shady spots under trees and in grass, but they are capable of growing and thriving just about anywhere as long as the soil is fertile and free-draining.

Like all bulbs, they are self-contained cannibals, feeding on the goodness from their own foliage. So unless they are to be dug up, split and replanted, they should be left alone.

Allium XHEAD

The likes the snowdrops, aconites, dwarf iris, the windswept and wonderful anemones, crocus, grape hyacinths and gorgeous Glory of the Snow, aka Chionodoxa, are considered ideal for smaller gardens and rockeries.

All are vertically challenged, but they demand respect be they at front of a border, in a rockery, in naturalized drifts or in containers.

But sometimes being big is important. Many forms of daffodil and tulip can stand up for themselves but when it really comes down to being able to hold your own, there is one particular family of bulbs recognised as giants. They can stand proud anywhere and re-appear, year after year, often growing in numbers to form significant colonies.

Alliums, aka ornamental onions, include in their numbers quite a few small and medium-sized blooms ideal for the garden, but when it comes to making a big impression, look no further than A albopilosum, which can easily reach three feet in height and produce large showy heads of silvery pink star-shaped flowers.

Even taller is Allium giganteum, also known as Giant Onion, the tallest ornamental allium in common cultivation and one which can look down on lower life forms from the top of its four-and-a-half-foot stem.

And don’t forget the queen of the garden, the lily. Somewhere sunny but where their roots are cool and deep in rich soil is ideal. There, some forms of this fantastic family can grow to be five feet tall and perfume the air for weeks on end.

Size may not be everything, but sometimes it helps to be head and shoulders above the rest.

CAPTION: IN THE PINK: Tulips are stars of the spring garden.;;; CAPTION: SMALL WONDER: Snowdrops can bloom as early as December.;;; BIG CHEESE: Ornamental onions.