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Gardening Hints

Spring flowering bulbs

Now is a good time to get spring flowering and hardy summer flowering bulbs in the ground if you haven't already

Denise Bush

Friday, 27 October 2017, 09:55

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Autumn is creeping in at last although daytime temperatures are still quite high. Those two days (if you were lucky) of rain last week was perfect for softening the dry, hard earth and makes planting bulbs a lot easier. Now is a good time to get spring flowering and hardy summer flowering bulbs in the ground if you haven't already. Whether planting tulips, daffodils, lilies or any of the many other spring and summer flowering bulbs available, the basics are the same. Make sure the soil is free-draining, mix in some sharp sand if you're not sure, and aim to plant bulbs in groups of at least six; you get a much better, natural-looking display that way. Dig a hole two to three times deeper than the height of the bulb from base to tip. Eg a 5cm bulb should be 10-15cm below soil level. Place the bulb in the hole with the nose up. This is usually the pointy end but not always! If in any doubt it is better to plant the bulb on its side rather than upside-down. Back fill with soil and tamp down firmly. Only water once actively growing and if you feed every seven to ten days with a high potassium fertiliser you will be helping to build up the bulb for next year's flowers. Stop feeding when the foliage dies back at the end of the season.

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