Spring Flowering Bulbs and Winter Flowering Shrubs

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Spring flowering bulbs are one of the gardening year's real delights, out of the depths of winter dormancy come fresh bright and unfeasibly huge and exuberant flowers powered by the energy stored the previous summer. I can't imagine a garden without spring bulbs, and I can't imagine a late winter / early spring without indoor hyacinths that I prepared the previous autumn. For me at least it's a defining part of being a gardener, the annual autumnal bulb potting ceremony.

If you start before about the middle of September (but the sooner the better), you can have Spring Flowering Bulbs for the house in flower at or just after Christmas. If you can get them planted before November, then they will have a chance to start growing before it begins to get very cold which will help them to flower all the earlier, they'll certainly be up early in the new year and long before the outdoor ones have woken up.

There are all sorts of spring bulbs to try and the available varieties increase each year.

By all means try something out of the ordinary, but in the main stick to the old favourites, after all it's no accident that they are favourites. I've tried all manner of unusual things in the past, some of which have been reasonable, but many have flowered late, poorly or not at all. In particular, they are better outdoors, but don't all take quite so kindly to being indoors in pots.

Think about scale when planting spring flowering bulbs. Apart from the odd warm sunny day that may tempt you out into the garden, you are going to appreciate your bulbs from a distance and either in the front garden or through a window at the back. So plant larger flowered varieties particularly if they're far away, always plant in clumps at any distance (one bulb usually gives one flower) and plant small flowered or dwarf varieties near to the house or in pots.

Planting in containers

The key point to remember is that these are temporary plantings, so you can plant the bulbs very close together, almost touching, for the maximum density of flowers. Buy the largest bulbs you can afford, smaller ones just don't perform as well and the smallest may produce lots of leaves but no flowers at all. After flowering plant them in the garden as soon as you can, they won't perform as well next year, you need to start with large bought ones again.

Bulb fibre is often recommended, but is only really necessary if the bulbs are to be planted in bowls without drainage. I've always treated bulbs like any other container plants and use ordinary potting compost in containers that have drainage holes and get excellent results.

Daffodils / Narcissi | Hyacinths | Tulips

Winter scent and flowers outdoors

Many plants outdoors will continue to grow until the frosts start in October or maybe even November (it seems to get later every year), so you can plant shrubs now to get them established and ready to perform as soon as the alarm clock rings next spring.

It's well worth putting a winter flowering shrub in now to appreciate it's efforts when much of the fruits of your gardening efforts are still distant hopes. To get much flower the first year, they need to be fairly biggish specimens already. Plant them near to the door or along well used paths, You're going to be less inclined to traipse down to the bottom of a wet and largely dormant garden to smell one particular bush, however tempting it may be.

Viburnum bodnantense "Dawn"ee or "Charles Lamont" - Fragrant rose-tinted flowers borne on bare wood from late autumn to early spring. Eventually to 10ft tall by 6ft wide. Not too fussy about soil. If you only have one winter flowering shrub, have this one.

Chimonanthus praecox - Winter Sweet. Similar in size, and habit to the Viburnum above, but with yellow flowers not as long lasting.
Chimonanthus praecox

Hamamelis - witch hazel. Large deciduous shrub with fragrant frost-resistant spidery flowers in winter that are yellow or shades of orange depending on variety. Produces brilliant golden yellow autumn foliage as well, which looks good if under planted with purple autumn crocuses, Colchicum speciosum (only available in late summer and need to planted immediately). Best in full sun, not keen on an exposed site. To 12ft high and wide, 5ft high and wide for Hamamelis x intermedia pallida.

Mahonia - Oregon grape Evergreens with holly-like leaves and a very "architectural" habit. Fragrant yellow flowers in large quantities once the plant gets going. Ultimately to 10ft x 10ft but takes ages to get there and easily contained to lesser sizes. Recommended M. aquifolium "Apollo" - Oregon Grape, shade tolerant. M. x media "charity", not quite as hardy or shade tolerant, but a more gracious plant. A strong rival to Viburnum "Dawn" above with the evergreen advantage.

Daffodils / Narcissi | Hyacinths | Tulips