Q&A: Adding colour to a small garden

Q: I have only a small garden which is a bit bare. I would like more colour. Are there any easy-to-grow plants which would brighten up the area in spring?
Crocus fieldsCrocus fields
Crocus fields

A: If they haven’t done so already, crocus in creams, yellows, purple, blue and oranges and snowdrops in pure white will be popping through soon in patio containers and sunny flower borders.

If your garden hasn’t any, buy a few potted bulbs that are ready to bloom.

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If, on the other hand, you know someone who has crowded clumps of snowdrops, ask if you can dig up a few and then replant them, while they are ‘in the green’ and full of leaf, in your own garden.

Dig new holes for planting and improve the drainage of the soil with sharp sand or grit. Leave enough room between each bulb so that they have room to swell and feed with diluted Miracle-Gro Plant Food every week

If you fancy a specific snowdrop, try to find a variety called ‘S Arnott’ which is an all-round good performer. The bulb’s best attribute is that offsets flower from a young age, so an impressive clump builds up uickly.

You may not get an explosion of colour this year, but by using spring-flowering bulbs (buy a lot more bulbs in August and September and plant them in autumn) you should soon have a lovely spring garden.