The 10 potted bulbs you can plant now to bring instant spring to your garden
With recent chilly weather, we’re all yearning for spring – and we want it now. Luckily, garden centre benches are groaning under the weight of small pots of forced bulbs that are about to burst into flower, and they’ll propel your garden straight into spring in an instant. They’re inexpensive and versatile, and you can place them in a cool greenhouse, or arrange them on a plant theatre close to a sheltered wall. You could add them to a winter container, or use them on a patio or balcony. Once they go over, they can be planted outside, in areas that don’t get waterlogged. Here are 10 varieties to look out for.
1. Scilla siberica AGM
Cobalt-blue bells emerge from the bright-green, high-gloss foliage of this four-inch-high stunner. Better still, this hardy little bulb will flower in shade, just as the miniature daffodils appear. Always allow S. siberica to self-seed and then it will spread around early-flowering woody plants such as witch hazels, magnolias and flowering cherries. S. bifolia, a more liberal coloniser, has daintier flowers. I’m also fond of the grey-blue flowers of S. mischtschenkoana that emerge in February, although this needs warmth and sun. S. luciliae, previously called chionodoxa or glory-of-th-snow, also likes a sunny site. Ignore the invasive S. bithynica, unless you have acres of woodland to spare. You can find pots of S. siberica online at RHS Garden Shop.
2. Galanthus
You’ll find Galanthus (or snowdrops) on the benches at garden centres, but do check the foliage carefully, because potted snowdrops can be prone to grey mould (or botrytis) and a fungal disease that browns the tips of the leaves. The wide and blunt-tipped, grey-green G. elwesii prefers brighter conditions. The fine and grassy G. nivalis does better in semi-shade. Those with softer foliage, G. plicatus and G. woronowii, do best (for me) in shade. This is the ideal time to seek out named snowdrops, such as “Godfrey Owen”, from mail-order specialists; the ones that grow well aren’t too expensive. Specialist snowdrop suppliers include Old Court Nurseries, Edulis Nursery, Ashwood Nurseries and Pottertons.
3. Crocuses
The earlier crocuses have smaller flowers that appear in the garden in February. Many are named forms or hybrids involving C. chrysanthus, a diminutive species that demands a sunny site. You’re likely to find the buttermilk-yellow “Cream Beauty” and the purple-flamed white “Ladykiller” at garden centres; both have long-stemmed flowers resembling champagne flutes. Plant them in your warmest position, because these early crocuses need good drainage and sun. You may also find the purple, yellow and white “Tricolor”, which is even earlier to flower, and this one will pop up through snow. The later crocuses, or Dutch crocuses, have larger flowers that are more wine glass than flute, and the purples are the strongest growers. They will happily push up through grass as they’re derived from a meadow species, C. vernus. “Vanguard” and “Yalta”, both silver-mauve, are highly desirable.
4. Fritillaria meleagris
The snake’s head fritillary thrives in damp meadows, so this British native won’t do for those with dry or upland gardens, but it does prosper and self-seed in gardens with higher water tables. Colour varies from chequered mauve to pure white. This fritillaria dislikes disturbance, so plant it carefully. My high-altitude garden doesn’t suit it at all, but I do well with F. pyrenaica, a yellow-lipped brown that flowers with the cowslips in grass. The latter is available from Potterton’s, along with lots of other goodies.
5. Miniature narcissus
The ubiquitous, double-headed “Tête à Tête” will be everywhere, but you may also find the windswept N. cyclamineus, with its long narrow trumpet and swept back petals. This is one bulb that I would keep in a pot, because it definitely has a preference for acid or ericaceous humus-rich soil. The long-lasting flowers are worth the trouble. Repot into fresh compost when still in leaf. “Rip van Winkle”, a ragged heritage double, looks better pot-grown, because it swoons rather readily. Twelve Nunns (twelvenunns.co.uk) sells potted N. cyclamineus.
6. Cyclamen coum
These spring-flowering cyclamen have small tubers, roughly the size of a walnut, and buying them in pots is a good way to introduce them. The rounded leaves can be plain green or silvered, and the flowers go from magenta to pink through to blush-white. You can pick your favourites, and they’ll need an open sunny position once planted. Once seeds are set, the ants will roll them a short distance – although not necessarily where you want them. Ashwood Nurseries (ashwoodnurseries.com) is a cyclamen specialist.
7. Muscari or grape hyacinth
Grape hyacinths are real bee pleasers. Unfortunately, many of us have spent a not-so-happy afternoon digging out the invasive M. armeniacum from our borders. It’s best to confine this one to wilder garden areas to save your sanity. The less aggressive “White Tiger”, a pure-white, and the pale-blue “Jenny Robinson” (or “Baby’s Breath”) look wonderful in pots for three to four weeks and they are not rampant. I love the fuzzy double-flowered “Blue Spike” and “Fantasy Creation”, and the Ocean Magic series, with its neat white margins. The Dutch are breeding lots of new ones; these are adaptable and grow almost anywhere.
8. Eranthis hyemalis
Winter aconites are fascinating, unfurling feathery foliage around globed bright yellow flowers very early in the year. Once they’ve faded, plant them under deciduous shrubs and trees in a position that avoids a summer bake. They will self-seed and form colonies in time. Make sure you’re buying the green-leafed E. hyemalis though, not the later flowering and trickier E. hyemalis Cilicica Group, often labelled E. cilicius. This has fine purplish foliage.
9. Reticulate irises
These are a mixed bunch, because the truly reticulate irises, with narrow foliage and fine-petalled flowers, tend to fade away quickly in the garden. “Harmony” is a hybrid that does come back, with compact foliage and mid-blue flowers splashed with white and mid-ribbed in yellow. Iris histrioides “Lady Beatrix Stanley” is my most enduring early iris with substantial weather-proof flowers in rich-blue, splashed in white and with a yellow central stripe. Lady B endures year on year, because the foliage develops into a foot-high sheath, so the bulbs always get replenished. Early flowering irises need good drainage and a sheltered position.
10. Anemone blanda
The wide open rayed petals of A. blanda indicate a need for a sunny position: after all, the word daisy is a corruption of “day’s eye”. Blue is the most useful colour in the garden, because the pure-white and vibrant pink varieties can look stark. This anemone will self-seed pleasingly, especially if grown in a pot or in gravel. If you can find a brown grass-like plant, such as Carex “Comans Bronze” or C. testacea, it will combine with the flowers really well. Not to be confused with the gently nodding woodlander, A. nemorosa.