Stepping into Spring

It may feel like only moments ago that we were 'Stepping into Christmas' but now is the perfect time to look forward to spring! Spring bulbs are the ideal way to add colour to empty pots or to fill spaces in the border, and bridge the gap from winter until the abundance of new growth later in spring.

Although it's too late to be buying packs of bulbs to plant for spring flowering, there are spring flowering bulbs available already potted up and ready to be planted out. This is a quick and easy way to create instant displays. If you choose wisely you could have bulbs flowering from January/February right through until May or even early June. Start with the early flowering bulbs. Snowdrops, which flower from January, Iris which can flower as early as February and Crocus which flower around about March. These kickstart the spring season and are a welcome splash of colour. Next, we have Daffodils, Muscari, Hyacinths and Bluebells (to name but a few!).  And finally, the late spring bulbs such as Tulips, Allium and Camassia which all flower around May and sometimes into June.

Colour scheme

You can either go with a colour scheme, (e.g. pinks and whites), contrasting colours, or even a rainbow of different colours! The choice is yours, and there's no right or wrong way. Spring bulbs are meant to be colourful and fun. Just remember to consider the eventual height of the bulbs so you don't plant taller ones closer to the front of the border with smaller ones ending up getting tucked away behind.

Planting Combinations

You can also get really creative combining existing plants with bulbs. Early on in the season, Hellebores can look wonderful next to Cyclamen, Iris and Snowdrops, or a carpet of winter/spring flowering heather can act as a backdrop for bulbs. Further into spring, When there are Magnolias, ornamental cherries and Forsythia in flower, these too can tie in with spring bulbs planted underneath or close by. The yellow of Forsythia could be planted with blue Muscari around the base, a classic spring combination of yellow and blue. In late spring come the Rhododendrons and Azaleas, which could be a backdrop for tulips and Alliums. Camassia and Alliums combine really nicely with the zingy green of Euphorbia, or can be underplanted with hardy geraniums. There's so many different combinations to try!