Is there anything more joyous than spotting those first signs of spring? Green shoots push up through the hard, frosty ground. Buds appear on the stark, empty trees. The thought of blossoms floating on the cold breeze. Sunny yellow daffodils remind us that warmer days are just around the corner. Truly, spring bulbs are the perfect antidote to a cold winter!
To get that gorgeous display of spring blooms, the time to plant bulbs is in autumn. This allows enough energy to gather in the bulbs to burst through the earth when spring arrives! A great rule of thumb is to plant all your bulbs about six to eight weeks before the first frosts come in.
Which bulbs to pick?
Bulbs are classed into two categories – spring and summer. This is to differentiate between the spring bulbs that can withstand frosts and still spring forth when the temperatures get warmer, and summer bulbs that are not as hardy, which need to be planted when the frosts are over.
Some spring staples to consider: Hyacinths, daffodils, irises, crocuses, tulips and even lilies.
(Although if you have pets, please consider which bulbs are pet-safe!)
When purchasing bulbs from your local garden centre, take some careful thought to ensure a reliable blooming collection…
For example, larger bulbs are way ahead of smaller ones of the same variety in the race for storing nutrients. As such, they tend to be more capable of producing bigger, more vibrant flowers. Bear this in mind during planting too, as overloading the soil with bulbs can impact their rate of growth and capability for flowering.
Secondly, consider the height and width of each plant, carefully planning where each plant goes will help maintain structure and help your beds, pots or hanging baskets look fuller too.
Finally, each new bulb should be firm and devoid of mush and mould. Bulbs showing signs of moisture and mouldy spots can affect the health of your soil, which in turn could affect other ‘sleeping’ plants in the same area. Also, this will likely affect the viability of the bulb, and we don’t want to waste money on defunct products!
Planning your spring bulbs
When arranging some garden maintenance services for the autumn, take some time to plan your spring garden, once the garden clearing services have been undertaken, and hedges and shrubs cleared and tidied, you have another blank canvas to work with – no better time to consider how you would like your spring garden to take shape.
Rosewood garden services can help you every step of the way with your Spring garden plans, whether undertaking the heavy lifting with hedge trimming services or removing your garden waste. Our friendly team can offer advice, lend a helping hand or help create the garden to your specifications, there is no job too big or too small. We can join you for weekly maintenance, or simply carry out a one-off job, our motto is – we believe everyone should enjoy their garden year-round!
If you would like some expert help with your garden get in touch with us here at Rosewood Garden Maintenance.
