A visit to our local garden center recently revealed a treasure trove of spring flowering bulbs including plenty that we can use for naturalising under the large trees at the bottom of our garden.
We already have plenty of Snowdrops (Galanthus) that I divide every couple of years in March once they have finished flowering. They are one of the easiest bulbs to grow and one of the earliest to flower with their enchanting nodding white flowers marked with green. There are so many different varieties available – I can see why gardeners collect them!
With their richly coloured, shiny petals and conspicuous orange stamens, Crocus are ideal to naturalise in a sunny spot and well drained soil. They are one of the hardiest of flowers and the buds lurk amongst the grassy leaves, suddenly springing open on a warm, sunny day and always catching me out with their spontaneity! I have decided to plant some under the trees along with some Winter Aconites (Eranthus) which open their bright gold flowers in March and April from parsley like leaves. We purchased three varieties of the large flowered Crocus which will show up better in the grass than the smaller, earlier flowering specie sorts. I mixed the three packets together and scattered them randomly on the ground so that they are planted where they have fallen. Then it is just a case of making a hole in the grass and dropping the corms in to a depth of seven or eight centimetres (the right way up ofcourse!) and replacing the turf. The Winter Aconites can be planted amongst these and both should seed and increase over the coming years with little attention save a scattering of bone meal over the area once the leaves have died back. The grass in this area is very rough and I like to leave it long through the spring and summer so that some of the butterflies can lay their eggs on it. Many are particularly fond of Cocks Foot and Couch although I would not want other areas of the garden overrun with the latter! In the sunnier areas, away from the summer shade of the trees, I have planted Snakes Head Fritillary, another plant with grassy leaves and nodding, lantern shaped flowers that are delicately marked like snake skin in shades of mauve, pink and white. These will flower in April and May and should seed gently each year.
I am very fond of Anemone blanda with their fern like leaves and delicate looking flowers that appear in late spring. The curious, knobbly black corms only need to be planted just below the surface of the soil and the plants increase gently by seeding themselves each year. Along with Scilla siberica (Spring Squill) they are ideal to naturalise under deciduous shrubs to extend the season of interest.
I like to plant a few bulbs each autumn; it reminds me that we, as gardeners have to always plan ahead and that the next season is never too far away!
Happy Gardening,
Mr McGregor
