Spring Bulbs Planting Design

Example of planting design using spring bulbs

It may seem like only two minutes since we bid farewell to this year’s display of spring bulbs but now is the perfect time to be thinking about next year. Whilst many of us have them in our gardens we’ve found that very few people we talk to consider their spring bulbs to be an integral part of their planting scheme; indeed, many people seem to make their bulb choices purely on the basis of a desire to see a splash of colour – any colour – to break the drabness of winter. But, with some design planning and bulbs’ vast variety of shapes and sizes, colours and flowering periods, spring bulbs have the potential to be so much more than just that splash of colour – they could be the show stopping stars of your spring garden design.

Spring bulbs in a designed garden border

Planting Spring Bulbs

As with all planting designs environmental factors such as aspect, light levels and ground conditions will all have a bearing on the success of any scheme. ‘Right plant, right place’ works just as well for spring bulbs as for any other garden plant and planting depth of bulbs can also influence the flowering success of them later. For instance, if you plant bulbs too deep you risk getting more foliage at the expense of flowers and some might flower late or not at all. Plant them too shallow and they might emerge too soon making them vulnerable to frost. If you don’t have a label to check, a good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs 2 to 3 times their size. So, if a bulb is 5cm high, plant it 10-15cm deep and 10-15cm away from the next bulb. Since bulbs themselves are all different sizes, this allows you plant lasagne-style with larger bulbs deeper, mid-size bulbs in a layer above and small bulbs planted on a top layer. This method works particularly well in pots but can be used just as well in borders too allowing for the maximisation of space and impact.

Surrounding Plants

One of the tricks of designing with bulbs, of course, is blending them with existing plants – for most of us, bulbs are an addition to an already existing scheme so the height, texture, colour and form of surrounding plants will play a key role in choosing bulbs for maximum visual effect. Most of us tend to leave our bulbs in the ground once planted but it has to be said too that once a bulb has ‘gone over’ it isn’t the prettiest plant in the garden but leaving its yellowing leaves is a crucial part of the bulb’s life cycle so those surrounding plants can also play an important role in hiding those nourishing, but not too aesthetic leaves. Alternatively, planting bulbs in pots allows us to move them out of sight after flowering so can be a great choice for areas with few ‘hiding potential’ surrounding plants.

Bulb Colours

spring bulbs in a trough container near a doorway

If you’re considering planting bulbs in a small space then it’s a good plan to stick with a single colour – mixing colours tends to make a small area look smaller whereas a hit of a single colour increases impact and makes a space look bigger too. Larger spaces can accommodate more colour, of course, but limiting to 2 or 3 blended colours and planting groups of 2 or 3 varieties of bulbs in single colour clusters can look stunning. White or cream bulbs can help blend other colours together and when used alone are brilliant for brightening dark corners.

Functional Bulbs

Bulbs can be functional too; for instance, we have some quick collections that are perfect for pollinators; bulbs in this scheme not only look good but have a high nectar content that will encourage biodiversity in your garden. We also have them to help naturalise areas or to bring a fresh spring woodland look to a garden or to make a statement with bold swathes of colour. If you don’t feel confident to design yourself and don’t want a bespoke design, collections are a quick and easy way to choose bulbs. We order for our clients in August/September – both collections and bespoke designs – so whether you’re doing it yourself or working with a designer, planning now is key for next year’s spectacular spring bulb display.

May Gardens

Hints of summer should be on its way this month with warmer and longer days. With the wet winter we've had everything seems to have exploded - not only the plants but also pests are out with a vengeance. Our May gardens are starting to inject more colour and vibrancy into our outdoor spaces with flowers coming into bloom thick and fast.

Tulips are already up and gracing us with their presence, remember though that there is still a chance of an occasional frost so be ready to cover tender plants. New shoots found on plants like hostas are tender too and will need protection from cold winds and late frosts – have newspapers or fleeces ready and hold them down with large stones over night if the forecast is for cold.

Lawns usually need to be mown twice a week in May and don't forget to cut on a high setting, especially if your grass is damp. Going too short too early will damage your lawn. Take care not to cut the grass where bulbs are flowering too if possible. As soon as the leaves begin to turn yellow and die back that is a sign for you to cut your grass over bulbs. Leaves are a very important source of energy for next year’s bulb displays!

Shelter your hanging baskets in a corner during the day inside or on top of a big pot and put them inside overnight until the threat of frost has gone. Spring flowering containers will usually be starting to fade towards the end of May but some might last into June this year. When they have gone over throw out those annuals and replace them with new plants you have sown yourself or bought elsewhere.

May Garden Jobs

Every month brings with it a list of jobs that need doing in the garden and May is no exception! This is a busy time of year generally. Your garden will benefit from TLC this month to give it the best chance of performing well for you during the summer months. Some May garden jobs for that list of yours…

Keep an eye on your watering. Sheltered plants might still need a little extra and if you've been keeping plants back in the greenhouse a little longer than usual they'll need a good regular supply too.
Protect tender plants or shoots from frosts and cold winds
Keep weeds under control
Cut grass as the daffodil or tulip leaves turn yellow and begin to die back
Lift tulip bulbs when they're over, store them in a dark and dry place until autumn
Prepare supports for climbers
Harden off hanging baskets
Place straw mulch under strawberries
Clear out spring bedding plants
Thin out annuals and vegetables already sown outdoors
Sow vegetables every few weeks to get a continuous crop later in the year
Protect crops from carrot fly
Allow plenty of ventilation in the greenhouse
Scarify lawns where dead moss is a problem
Check for pests and diseases both in the greenhouse and outside
Stake or support tall and/or floppy plants
Deadhead flowers as needed.

April Gardens

April usually brings with it an injection of colour in our gardens, the spring bulbs are usually out in force, other plant leaves are unfurling and trees are often awash with blossom at this time of year making it feel as though life is most definitely stirring! The birds are usually singing, insects are usually starting to show themselves and often the bees are out making the most of the early nectar from the spring flowers.

Keep your eyes open for any pests like slugs and snails and the dreaded vine weevil.

Chances are you've been reticent about getting tender plants or seedlings outside but if you have ventured out take care still as frosts can still damage them so have some horticultural fleece or even an old newspaper at the ready to cover them during those colder nights. If you don't have either and can bring them indoors remember to take them back out the next day.

Spring is a great time for scent in the garden and if you don't have anything now is the perfect time to go out and buy yourself something that will add another dimension to your garden at this time of the year. Some to consider are, for example, Viburnum, Philadelphus, Wisteria and Magnolias but be sure to double check before you buy because not every variety of these plants has a scent.

If you have a vegetable garden you'll be a busy bee making sure the ground is prepared and heated sufficiently enough to plant those tender seedlings that will hopefully produce an abundance of tasty treats for you later in the year! Remember though the trick is to sow seeds every few weeks or so to make sure you get an ongoing supply of produce that you can cope with rather than being inundated with things like courgettes…yes, we've all done it with courgettes!!

April Garden Jobs

Some of the jobs that can be done in your garden this month are:

Dividing perennials - any plants that you didn't get to last month, now's the time to replant them around your garden to increase your border stocks (or give to friends if you don't have any space in your own garden!)
Keep weeding the borders, annual weeds should be easy to pull out by hand but the perennials will need digging out
If you haven't cut back your ornamental grasses yet this is the last chance to do it or there may well be a chance of damaging the emerging shoots
Get sowing your annuals
Pot on any seedlings so they don't get too leggy
Start protecting your plants from vine weevils, slugs and snails by using biological controls
Begin your regular mowing, the first cut should be at the highest then lower each time you cut so by the end of the month it is at the usual setting or you may risk frost damage by cutting it too low too early
Take on those edges, a good neat edge to your lawn makes all the difference
Stake some of the taller perennials in the garden now before time gets away from you and they have become unruly
If you haven't sown any sweet peas and want some you'll need to get them sown pretty quickly or it'll be too late!
Foxgloves, Aqueligias and other plants that have self sewn themselves around the garden can be lifted and replanted exactly where you want them
Keep a check on any containers and water if needed as we may have a few hot and dry days this month
Plant up Dahlia tubers and keep them in a frost free place
If you're planning on planting vegetables don't forget to sow successionally to avoid the gluts!

March Gardens

This month we should start to notice the sun warming up, the grass starting to grow and of course the early spring bulbs will be gracing us with their presence brightening up our borders and generally making us smile! The weather though this month can be changeable so don’t be tempted to remove any protective fleeces on your planted out tender plants. And for any you've stored under cover over winter, we can still have some sharp frosts so you may need to keep them safe until the threat of frosts has passed.

With the sun’s warmth getting stronger though the germination of weeds will begin in earnest now so it is really important to hoe them out. Any perennial weeds will need to be dug out now before they really start to take hold. Applying mulch to the soil this time of year is good because it will keep all the moisture in and cut down on the amount of weeds germinating.

Roses will need some attention this month too, if you didn’t prune in the autumn now is the time to do it before new growth is well developed. Also willows and dogwoods will need some attention so they are looking their best for the autumn and winter displays we like so much.

This month pests and diseases in the garden really start to get going so it is vital to keep on top of them. If you are normally a chemical user then consider giving biological controls a try this year, slugs and snails can be greatly reduced by watering a particular nematode into the borders two or three times a year. In the greenhouse keep your eyes open for aphids, red spider mite and whiteflies as the temperatures begin to rise and biological controls can all work for them too.

March Garden Jobs

Prune heathers by removing dead flower heads being careful not to cut into old wood
Keep on top of and remove germinating weeds
Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials to encourage invigorated growth and increase your garden stock
Gently scarify your lawn if not done in the autumn
Mow lawns on a high setting for the first few cuts
Lay turf or seeds from the end of this month and into April
Prepare seed beds ready for planting up vegetables
Plant early varieties of potatoes
Sow seeds this month, check carefully as some will need to be started off inside and some can be planted straight out into the borders
Divide large clumps of herbs such as chives
Mulch beds and borders to keep weeding and watering to a minimum
Refresh and top dress containers with fresh compost
Begin to increase watering of houseplants, if the compost feels moist wait a little longer before watering.

Planning for Spring in Autumn

Yes, that’s right and there’s no better time than late autumn to plan for spring! The garden centres, nurseries and in some cases even supermarkets have huge amounts of spring flowering bulbs for sale right now so it really is the perfect time to buy and plant them. Just the sight of snowdrops or daffodils can make even us feel just a little excited that spring is on the way and the cold winter months are being left far behind us. Spring plants are also one of the earliest sources of nectar for our emerging bees and other pollinating insects that really need do need a food source.

Some people I have spoken to see bulbs on sale and buy a selection of those they know or have heard of and plant them up and there is nothing wrong with that at all. However, if this is you why not try something different this year and here’s a few questions to ask yourself which could influence your decision:

What bulbs did you buy last year?
Does your garden have a particular colour scheme throughout the year?
Are you aware of any planting gaps in the borders around spring?

Once you have the answers to these questions you’ll have more of an idea how to plan for early colour next year. If you don’t have a colour scheme in your garden don’t worry just try to think of a pleasing colour scheme and use it to plan for spring. T. 'Flaming Spring Green', for instance, looks great paired with blue Forget-me-nots (as shown in our image) where it can give a real pop of colour.

There are so many different varieties of tulips some are late spring and others early summer but you can find those that are a solid colour and others mixed. Let’s take soft, muted pinks and purples as our colour scheme for this example Tulips, e.g. Tulipa ‘China Pink’, T. ‘Ballade’, T. ‘Greuze’ or T. ‘Queen of the Night’. So, where do daffodils fit with these colours? There are several varieties of daffodils that are white or cream with limited yellow in the centre so you could look out for those rather than the bright yellow ones that are likely to clash e.g. Narcissus ‘Actaea’ or N. ‘Cool Crystal’. White is a colour that is often used sparingly in planting design for the eye to naturally rest and this provides a comfortable break or pause from colours. Snowdrops will do this perfectly, there are so many different varieties why not try a different one this year? You could try Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’ or G. elwesii. There are a huge variety of bulbs or other small flowering plants in so many different colour schemes that can add interest in your spring garden such as Fritillaria meleagris, Anemone blanda ‘White Splendour’, Eryanthis hyemalis, Muscari armeniacum, Primula vulgaris also crocus and various cylamen.

Once you have decided upon your bulbs check which months they flower to ensure that you have colour as early as possible and every month right through until your established garden plants begin to come into their own. Don’t forget to plant up your containers too as they will give you more interest and you can move them around the garden. If you have squirrels in your area lay some chicken wire or similar over the containers for protection until they start to grow.

The next stage is to buy them and remember a tool to plant them with, if you have only bought a few you would get away with a hand held tool if you’ve bought a lot it would be worth investing in one with a long handle that you can use standing up. Buying the right tools for the job makes the job much more pleasurable and less painful!!

We’ve only really touched lightly on planning for spring, if you want to know what to do now for your garden in spring give us a call we’ll be happy to come out and give you some advice.