Autumn – March to early June – is the ideal time to plant bulb plants in your garden.  Flowering times of bulbs vary from winter through to spring, depending on the type of bulbs you plant.  Therefore, with careful planning you can have colour in your garden during winter up to spring.

Bulbs include daffodils, irises, tulips, tulbaghias, ixias, hyacinths and freesias.  You can buy your bulbs from a nursery and plant them yourself, taking care to read the instructions carefully.

There are a few points to remember when planting bulbs.  Firstly, you need to lay out your proposed beds or pots in an area out of direct sunlight.  Then you need to prepare the soil by loosening it and working in old compost.  New compost will burn the bulbs, so take care not to use it.  After you have prepared the soil, you can plant your bulbs.  Make sure that the layer of soil covering the bulbs is as thick as the bulb is high.  You can compress the soil slightly, but do not compact it too much.  The soil around the bulbs needs to allow enough air and water through.  It is also a good idea to feed your bulbs with bulb food every three weeks, to ensure optimal flowering.

After planting your bulbs, you can mulch the beds and make sure to water your bulbs regularly.  Your bulbs should have a life span of up to four years. 

Should the bulbs start crowding one another, you will have to extract the bulbs gently, divide them and then replant them a little further away from one another.  At this time, you can also get rid of any unhealthy bulbs and replace them with new ones.  It is important to go through this process only after your bulbs have finished flowering and have gone into hibernation, as they are at their strongest at this time.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner.  We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service.  We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.