Seasonal Planting Tips
Nothing lights up the garden better than spring bulbs, which give our gardens vast, vivid colour before most perennials, trees, and shrubs – marking the end of winter and the start of longer days. Preparing and planting your garden now will allow you to enjoy these wonders come springtime!
Spring-flowering bulbs can be planted as early as September, as the soil is still warm and the roots can develop before wintertime, however in most cases they can be planted before January without any problems. The exception to this rule is with tulip bulbs, which should be set in November to prevent the ‘Tulip Fire’ fungus which withers the plant and causes brown spots to develop. Spring bulbs can be placed directly into soil or in any of our large range of pots at Homeland. Bulbs should be planted at a depth of around three times their size and tend to like a mix of sun or partial shade with free-draining soils. There are tonnes of autumn colours for both pots and flower beds which you can pick and choose from such as heathers, cyclamen, daffodils, bluebells, and tulips. Now is also the perfect time for planting hedging & trees such as hardy evergreens and ash, cherry, and birch trees, for example. Just ask any of our expert horticulturalists in our garden centres for advice!
Use the ‘Lasagne Planting Method’ in order to be efficient with your space and make some great combinations of blooms! The lasagne planting method involves planting layers of bulbs, just like a lasagna, and covering each in a layer of compost and soil. In most cases, two or three layers are enough. You can use late-flowering bulbs at the bottom or stay with the same bulbs throughout – Either way the result will be a vast, colourful bloom! To make your lasagne pot:
· Choose your pot and decide on which bulbs to use. For two layers, you will need a pot which is at least six inches deep, or 15 centimetres. If you decide to plant three layers of bulbs, you will need a pot 10 inches, or 25 centimetres deep in order to ensure sufficient space to grow.
· Begin by placing a few inches of compost at the bottom of your pot, then place your latest flowering bulbs (such as Daffodils) on top of the compost. Ensure the bulbs have at least one inch spacing between each other.
· Next, cover the bulbs in a layer of compost, and add a layer of earlier flowering bulbs (such as Crocus) over the compost layer, again ensuring adequate space of one inch between bulbs so there is space for the bottom bulbs to grow through.
· Lastly, cover this second layer of bulbs in a layer of compost to make your final layer.
If you wish to do three layers of bulbs in your lasagne pot, ensure that there is adequate space and that you are using early flowering bulbs here also.
