The joy of gardening is that you always need to plan ahead. As soon as something is looking great in the garden you need to think about what to do next. With luck, your garden is still in its summer glory but autumn is approaching and for most of us that means planting bulbs to bloom in spring.
There are lots of different bulbs you can plant but I think the best are daffodils (narcissus). Not all bulbs can be relied on to establish and bloom every year but daffodils will. This is partly because they are (to some extent) derived from native daffodils that are used to our erratic and often wet climate. They are hardy and can be grown in borders, in grass and in pots. Sometimes they do not flower, in subsequent years, as well as we expect, and that is usually either because the foliage is not allowed to die down naturally, to feed the bulbs, or because they are planted in too much shade (they really prefer a sunny spot) or because they have divided prolifically and the bulbs are too crowded.
Daffodils can be planted from now till October. The bulbs form roots as soon as the first autumn rains wet the soil and, unlike tulips, should be planted as soon as possible. This allows the roots to grow well before the foliage and buds start to appear.
Daffodils flower from February to May, depending on the type as well as the weather. ‘February Gold’ is one of the first to bloom and the popular (and easy and prolific) ‘Tête-à-tête’ follows in March. If you only plant one this year, choose ‘Tête-à-tête’ (in a pot above). It is short, so great for pots as well as borders and, because it blooms early, is the best to naturalise in grass. This is because it naturally does down early and allows you to mow the grass by early May. It has a double-flowered form called ”Tête Boucle’ which is just as good.
Daffodils are not all yellow. Many are white or have orange cups but the most exciting are the pink daffodils. Many open salmon pink but there are lots that mature to true pinks.
Whether you plant in pots or in the border the bulbs need to be planted at a depth equivalent to about twice the height of the bulb below the soil surface. So a bulb about 5cm from base to tip should be panted with the top of the bulb (the shoulder of the bulb, not the very tip) about 10cm deep. It is not too critical but is a general rule. Bulbs are able to adjust their depth, over time.
Spacing is more variable. If planting in pots where you want a big splash of colour and will probably remove and replant them after a season, plant the bulbs close together. In the garden or in a lawn space them 15-20cm apart in clumps or drifts. This gives them space to grow and increase.
Daffodils are very effective in borders but remember that the foliage persists long after the flowers fade. Plant them around and under small shrubs and herbaceous plants that will grow and cover the daffodil foliage as it turns yellow. Day lilies, peonies and many other, late-flowering perennials are suitable or you can combine them with early plants like euphorbias, epimediums and pulmonarias.
Knights have bulbs in stock now but the most popular and the newest will sell out fast. Get yours soon and plant them this month for the best results.