32 of the best spring bulbs to plant now, and how to grow them successfully

In an ideal world, and according to standard advice, we should have planted our crocus, daffodils and alliums by the end of September; but when was the last time that you lived in an ideal world, especially when it comes to the garden? There is still plenty of time to plant most bulbs, giving your garden a boost of colour next spring. The range that is available to us online and in garden centres might be ever so slightly reduced in the middle of October, but there’s a good chance of grabbing a bargain as we head towards the later part of the planting season.

Planting bulbs in pots

Most bulbs dislike waterlogged ground, except for snake’s head fritillaries and camassia. If your soil is particularly heavy, and you haven’t had a lot of success with bulbs in the past, perhaps try growing your bulbs in containers, where it’s far easier to manage the drainage.

How to plant up a container

1. Find a suitable pot with drainage holes in the base and add a layer of broken terracotta, if you have some. If not, a small layer of gravel or some stones from the garden will help water escape from the container and prevent waterlogging.

2. Fill your container two-thirds full with peat-free compost – most peat-free mixes will have good drainage and will be perfectly suitable for growing potted bulbs without the need for adding anything extra, for example grit. Bulbs should be planted at a depth that is three times the height of the bulb.

   Tip: When it comes to planting bulbs in pots, be generous, allowing only a finger’s width between them. The bulbs will be in there for a short period of time so they do not need to grow very much, therefore we can plant them more densely than we would do in a border.

3. Arrange your bulbs throughout the container, taking note of height, by positioning some of the taller flowers either towards the centre or at the back, depending on how you arrange the pot. If you are going to view the container from all sides, then focus your height on the centre. If your container is going up against a wall, then focus your height on the rear and cascade it towards the front.
4. Spring colour also comes in the form of violas, pansies and primroses, which make wonderful additions to spring containers, providing lots of colours. Distribute these small plants throughout your container, making sure that you plant right up to the edge of the pot to give a billowing effect. I use ivy to trail over the side of a container to add another element and add interest to as many levels as possible.
5. Backfill all the spaces around the root balls and bury the bulbs with more peat-free compost, firming with your fingertips to ensure that there are no pockets of air in the soil, which will prevent roots growing and therefore reduce the vigour of your plants; firm and full is the mantra.

6. I finish my containers off with a layer of pea shingle, which helps to retain some of the moisture and reduces any weed growth. It shows off most container-grown plants, especially bulbs, beautifully, and the grit will prevent any compost splashing onto the leaves and flowers when it rains. Once the planting is complete, you’ll find there will be compost and sand on some leaves, which can look a bit unsightly, so use a watering can with a rose and a little seaweed feed in the water to wash and settle your new container in. I find that a capful of seaweed feed is sufficient for a five-litre watering can.

   Tip: Containers should be raised on pot feet or bricks to allow excess water to escape during the winter, as well as prevent the compost from freezing and cracking your terracotta pots.

Beware of the bulb lasagne

This method of planting lots of different bulbs at varying depths to achieve a succession of flowers sounds great on paper, but it often results in the more delicate bulbs being drowned out by the large, green strappy leaves from the more vigorous ones. This then leads to a rather unattractive effect which I’d say is worth avoiding.

It’s much better to have a combination of two or three bulbs with similar vigour, that flower at the same time, which provide contrast to each other, rather than trying to overcomplicate and overachieve with lots of different bulbs, which often ends up in a disappointing display.

Bulb care and watering

When you get your bulbs home from the garden centre, or they arrive in the post, open the packaging straight away to remove any surface moisture, which will encourage mould. You’re looking for a firm and solid bulb, without the presence of rot – it’s often not worth planting rotten bulbs as they will do very little in the garden, so seek a refund or buy replacements as time is precious, and you don’t want to waste yours planting inferior bulbs.

Sometimes we need to store our bulbs for a few weeks, particularly in the case of tulips, as the warm weather can encourage the disease tulip fire, so planting is best delayed until November or December, or at least until the cold weather arrives. Keep your bulbs in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place that is free from frost, squirrels and mice.

Bulbs and corms have adapted to be able to cope with drier conditions, particularly when they’re not in active growth, so one of the biggest faux pas when growing bulbs is watering them too regularly, particularly when they’re not yet growing.

Only start to water your bulbs when they come into active growth, and increase the amount of water in response to the increased amount of foliage. If in doubt, hold back on your watering, as bulbs will grow more successfully if they are kept on the slightly drier side.

Tom’s 32 best spring bulbs

Daffodils

I tend to avoid the big, flowered hybrids as I find them unattractive as they die down, with those giant, strappy leaves that seem to take an eternity to disappear. The more dwarfing daffodils with multi heads and scent give me a far greater joy, especially those florist types that can then be cut and brought into the home. When planted deep enough, daffodils are more reliably perennial than tulips, which is why I plant more each year, especially in long grass and meadow areas.

My five favourites:

• Narcissus ‘Thalia’
• Narcissus ‘Avalanche’
• Narcissus ‘Geranium’
• Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’
• Narcissus ‘Pheasant’s Eye’

Tulips

Avoid planting your tulips before November as the colder weather helps to deter tulip fire, which can be a devastating disease that persists for many years in the soil. Due to the fickle nature of tulips, which don’t come back as well each year, I feel quite wasteful when I end up composting all these bulbs at the end of one year. I find them much more suited to pots rather than the open ground, and tend to spend more money on perennial bulbs that increase each year.

Worth finding space for:

• Tulipa ‘La Belle Époque’
• Tulipa ‘Apricot Beauty’
• Tulipa ‘Black Hero’
• Tulipa ‘Aveyron’
• Tulipa ‘Ballerina’

Alliums

There’s nothing quite like a drift of alliums in the garden for the colour and the timing. Herbaceous perennials are starting to come through and provide a tapestry of different textures and coloured foliage, which offsets these bulbs tremendously well. Plant them in clumps in your beds and borders in large numbers to give a sense of cohesion in the garden. I would be amiss not to also talk about how attractive the dried seed heads can be, adding a little bit of sparkle at Christmas if sprayed silver or gold.

Perfect for borders, coming back year on year:

• Allium sphaerocephalon
• Allium schubertii
• Allium cristophii
• Allium ‘Mont Blanc’
• Allium ‘Gladiator’

Crocus and dwarf iris

Both these plants flower early in the year, usually around February or March, and due to their timing can be vulnerable to damage in bad weather. I tend to grow these corms in pots, offering them a bit of protection through the worst of the winter weather in an unheated greenhouse. The other advantage of growing these in pots is that we can raise the height in which we grow them to appreciate the intricacies of the flower much more than if they were grown in the ground.

Crocus:

• Crocus tommasinianus
• Crocus ‘Ladykiller’
• Crocus ‘Advance’

Dwarf iris:

• Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ (Reticulata)
• Iris ‘Blue Planet’ (Reticulata)
• Iris ‘J.S. Dijt’ (Reticulata)

Ranunculus and anemones

For the more daring and adventurous of us, ranunculus and anemones can be a little more challenging to grow, but boy are they rewarding. Both plants like a cool and bright environment, so are best grown in a greenhouse or an unheated conservatory to get the best results.

Ideally, soak the corms and tubers for 24 hours before you plant, starting them off in small modules. Keep them in very cool, bright and well-ventilated conditions and avoid overwatering. These more challenging plants are well worth the effort, not least for the supply of cut flowers, ideal for vases indoors.

Ranunculus:

• Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Viola’
• Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Clementine’
• Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Malva’

Anemone:

• Anemone coronaria ‘Sylphide’
• Anemone coronaria ‘Mister Fokker’
• Anemone coronaria ‘The Bride’

Hyacinths

The colour range and scent that hyacinths deliver make them very hard to beat and perfect for pots. I also prefer to start these bulbs off in an unheated greenhouse to offer them some protection, bringing them into flower earlier than they would do if grown outside.

I’m a great advocate for using your greenhouse throughout the year, rather than just seeing it as somewhere where you grow your tomatoes and cucumbers during this summer. Hyacinths fill the entire greenhouse with scent, providing a tonic to the grey and damp conditions outside. Pots of hyacinths can then also be brought into the home in cool conditions for the scent to be enjoyed in our indoor spaces, too. Like all bulbs, it’s much better to have a cooler, brighter environment to grow these plants.

Great performers and colours:

• Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Woodstock’
• Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Blue Star’
• Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Sky Jacket’
• Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Fondant’
• Hyacinthus orientalis ‘City of Haarlem’