LAST CHANCE to get your spring bulbs in!
+ a list of the bulbs you should buy & my method for plotting a pretty, varied spring scheme
If you’re yet to pull your (green) finger out and get some bulbs in the ground, it’s not too late!! But you haven’t got long left to do it! Order them right now - or perhaps after gaining some straightforward, beginner-friendly inspo from the following post - and block out time this weekend to plant your treasure…
As you know, I’m pretty new to the gardening game and this is my first time planting spring bulbs. Everyone told me it would be the most exciting part of having a garden and so far, they’re absolutely right! Selecting colours (or all.of.the.colours in my overzealous case), planning what will pop up where and having something to look forward to and distract from the sad, wintery scenes out my kitchen window is lovely. Since we moved in a bit too later in the spring to sow many seeds or bury any bulbs, we haven’t fully experienced the joy of seeing flowers we’ve picked and planted coming through (though watching the previous owners’ plans come to fruition has been its own kind of fun/surprise). So no, I’m no expert on these matters on which I write, but yes I’m very enthusiastic and have done a lot of research about the way of the bulb.
Most people think the first frost marks the end of your chances to get spring bulbs in your pots and beds but that’s not true, bulbs don’t mind a bit of frost, it just makes the ground harder. While we still have intermittent frost mixed with days that are warmer, you’re fine. If you haven’t bought your bulbs yet though, you really do need to do that right away as stock is seriously dwindling across suppliers, though in better news, that does mean they’re keen to shift the last of their bulbs and there are some serious bargains to be had. You might still be able to get some silly deals online, though I’d imagine your best bet for availability, ease and speed is your local garden centre. Our InExcess has some reasonable bumper packs of tulips and daffs still. If you do choose to order your bulbs, in the interim you can eliminate the risk of any further delays on your side by planning your layout, gathering pots and compost and preparing beds. My method is: I make a list of all the bulbs I’ve got to plant and next to each one I write