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Spring bulb shopping

F&F picks spring bulbs to cheer up the garden.

One of the weirder things I did earlier this year was to photograph my border in spring from above.

Not particularly prepossessing pictures, you’ll agree. But they serve a practical purpose, which is to show me where bulbs are already planted so that when I plant more this year, I don’t accidentally slice in two the ones I planted 12 months earlier.

And, of course, these pictures do remind me of just how achingly bare the border is at that time of the year.

All of which leads me to my bulb order for this autumn.

Which is looking more and more expensive.

So far, I’ve got these daffodils, iris and muscari in my shopping basket at Quality Daffodils. These guys are dead posh daffodil sellers and so I’m trying to keep the order relatively small as it is already rather a lot of money.

I do prefer white daffodils for the garden, having always had an odd aversion to yellow daffs in borders. The Narcissus cantabricus is a beautiful little daffodil and will go in the main herbaceous border, while the other white daffodils will be planted in a mixed fringe along the top terrace where the roses and berries are.

‘Caribbean Snow’ is such a curious daffodil that I couldn’t resist it, and it will most likely go in a pot at the top of the main steps, as well ‘Bossa Nova’, which is the closest match I’ve found to a very orange-coloured daffodil that I spotted at an RHS show, fell in love with, and promptly forgot its name.

The Iris reticulata will go in the main herbaceous border too, while the Muscari latifolium is for the currant patch. I already have M. ‘Joyce Spirit’ in the strawberry patch, but I need more, many more.

muscari joyce spirit

But of course I will buy the cheap, regular Muscari, and I will buy a sack of bright yellow daffodils from the garden centre for a tenner, and plant them in pots so that I can brighten up the garden quickly. What I’m now mulling, as I play about with my bulb order, and mosey around other websites, is ways of jazzing up the garden at its very earliest point.

I have already planted hundreds of snowdrops around the garden, particularly at the base of the middle terrace, but I was painfully aware of a lack of colour in early spring last year. If it means spending a little more money to cheer the whole place up, then so be it.

What are your favourite spring bulbs?

One Response

  1. Charlie Dann

    Lovely bulb selection! I’ve picked out some white hyacinths, loads of yellow daffs, and my favourite tulips ‘queen of the night’.
    Thank you for the tip on photographing borders for bulb locations; I’ll also be following suit!
    X

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