Bulbs for autumn colour

Bulbs for autumn colour, Plant now to boost post-summer borders

In an ideal world a garden contains something to catch the eye all year round, but sometimes things start to drop off when summer comes to an end. An easy way of creating seamless colour is to plant autumnflowering bulbs – and this is your last chance to do so this year.

There are bulbs for every situation and soil. Autumn crocuses and Sternbergia, plus cheerful yellow winter aconites, look stunning naturalised in lawns and under trees. Borders can easily be brightened by bold dahlias, tall nerines with their clusters of trumpetshapes blooms in shades of pink and hardy Cyclamen coum that take over flowering in shady areas in late winter.

How to plant bulbs

1. Dig over the soil to remove weeds, roots, stones and debris, and fork in lots of well-rotted organic matter.

2. Plant the bulbs at three times their own depth and one bulb’s width apart, with the pointed end facing upwards.

3. Cover the bulbs with soil and tamp down the surface with the back of a rake and water well. Mark their position.

4. You can also plant bulbs in pots at the same depth and spacing as before. Use multipurpose John Innes No2 for one season, or John Innes No3 for longer-term plantings.

sources:

Amateur Gardening, July 2018