Spring and Summer Bulbs 2023

[daisychain01]

I thought it would be nice to have a bulb thread for this year, so we can share photos and talk about what we've planted.

i thought I'd start by saying, if you find you have some bulbs from last year that you forgot to plant in the Autumn, do get them in the ground this week if you can, there is still plenty of time for them to grow and flower (even though the normal time to plant Spring bulbs is around November.

I have had so much going on with home and work, that my stash of bulbs were carefully stored away, lightly wrapped in newspaper, and I have been meaning to plant them for a couple of weeks. I checked online and several gardening sites say that as long as the bulbs look nice and plump with no signs of mould or shrivelled appearance, they are fine to plant in late Jan/ early Feb.

so I went out this afternoon, grabbed a few pots and got working. I did a few bulb lasagnes (layers of bulbs interspersed with compost) as I'm a bit low on compost. They will hopefully come up as a nice bright blousey displayed of mixed flowers. Fingers crossed 🤞

Weve got a mixed display of narcissi and daffs in our dingle which is a group of mature silver birch, which always come up well in April, and a few crocuses in the front by our gate, apart from that, I tend to do mixed pots each year as it's nice to move the colour round the garden.

I have lost a good few favourite geraniums in the frosts! Been quite lazy for a few years as have got away with it. A lot of cuttings/restockings this year!

Hello @Lightninginabox a few tips here:

1. Ranunculus are corms, they like to be soaked for a couple of hours in tepid weak tea (tannin is good for most plants in small quantities). Plant them with their little legs pointing downwards, in well-drained soil about 3-4 inches beneath the surface, cover well and gentle press the soil to ensure a firm seal. Mulch lightly, and keep them moist not soaked during their growing season
2. leaf mould - collect deciduous leaves and store them either in bin bags, or if you want to get creative I can show you how to make your own leaf mould net. Add a sprinkle of water (preferably rainwater as it contains nitrogen) but don't mulch oak, laurel (leaves are toxic) or other leathery leaves that take a very long time to rot. You can look forward to a nice batch of leaf mould in around 3-6 months - this gardening game is for the long haul, you need patience ha ha. I probably spend/invest up to 7 weekends each year collecting and cultivating leaves but the results are always worth it. I didn't lose a single plant during last year's drought.
3. Cut flowers for all seasons: chrysanthemum, peony (stunning in May), hollyhock, gladiolus, lupin, carnation, some roses are lovely as single stem in a delicate vase. Winter - my faves atm are hellebore, they are just such reliable workhorses of the garden, there are so many varieties and they rarely get disease although you may need to watch out for a few white/greenfly depending on the variety.

@daisychain01 thank you! Should I be planting the ranunculus now?

Depending on where you are in the country, I would start them off in pots and keep them protected from frost. If you have a greenhouse, they'll be happy in there until Mar/Apr Then you can replant them into their final position if you have a sunny border for example. You'll probably find they flower a bit later as you're planting them later than normal, but the benefit will be that you'll have a nice splash of colour later in the summer.

This thread is dangerous. I also bought some snowdrops in the green yesterday from J Parker as well as some allium bulbs and ranunculus. Will try and share photos when something comes up, the daffodils look like they'll be in flower soon!

I agree @ThreeRingCircus it has led me astray and I started the thread lol 😂

Looking forward to any photos.

i will post some photos when I get my parcel ( they emailed me today to say it's on its way ) and when my "drift of snowdrops" project is in full swing. Have fun!

@MereDintofPandiculation the snowdrops in my photo upthread are indeed doubles - I have two groups, the other group are singles. I'll have to be sure I remember which are which when I split them and add them to the new ones.

I'm so glad I posted on this thread. I've been following all of your updates with absolute joy. You all seem to have the enthusiasm that comes with Spring.

And I have news! Been out this afternoon to sweep the top patio and I have shoots! Quite pleased as I only planed the pots in January

My lasagne planting.
The irises are in flower and more to come, the hyacinths are only just pushing through, and whatever the other thing I planted was doesn't seem to have even survived!

What a cheerful thread. I asked for bulbs for my birthday last year, and my friend's 5 year old helped me plant them all. I've got two pots of hyacinth underplanted with tulips on my front doorstep. The hyacinths are all up and look lovely. Most of my daffodils on the sunny side of the garden are out and the tulips are up but still a few weeks away.

ATM, have crocuses that were planted late in Feb. are flowering now, with tulips in leaf. The dreaded Spanish bluebells are typically up and romping away (every year, I dig up as many as I could, but they're so prolific). Also, the ipheion are flowering when the weather has been warmer. Late daffs are up by about 5", but none showing in bud yet.

Farmer Gracey is a firm I have to stay away from as my recent delivery arrived (15% off and free delivery) (bare-rooted perennials and begonia corms) as their stock is so lovely and attractive. They have regular offers on, so it's so hard to resist.

Other than bulbs, have hellebores, edgeworthia chrysantha and prunus beni chidori in flower. One of my acers (Katsura, I think) is coming into leaf!

Been following this thread.. here’s some of my first tulips ‘exotic emperor’. These are last years potted tulips that I left in the pot as an experiment/laziness. Same compost. Really pleased with them.

I’ve noticed new flowers in with my Tete-a-tete now my crocus flowers have died off.

The trouble is, I can’t remember what they are! Can anyone identify them for me. They’re very pretty, so I’m quite pleased with them

I've got some coming up just like that! They are pretty, I want to say Chionodoxa? Not sure I've spelled that right.

Looking at online images, I’d say that’s a pretty good shout, thank you

A few weeks ago, and now.
Not sure the lasagne planting worked, but it's prolonged the flowering.