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Bulbs for beginners

First-time bulb buyers often feel overwhelmed by the thousands of varieties on offer. Luckily, they're really quite easy to grow and are fantastic in pots, particularly in spring. Here's how to get started.

Bulbs for beginners

Top growing tips

  • Buy your bulbs as soon as they are available as they can dry out in the shops.
  • Keep your bulbs cool and dry until it is time to get them in.
  • If you want a natural look (in a lawn for example) don't plant bulbs in a regimented manner. Throw a handful in the air and then plant them where they land.
  • Make sure you plant your bulbs the right way up! The rounded bottom where the roots grow should go into the bottom of the hole.
  • Bulbs look best when planted en-mass so don't just plant a few - go mad!

The subject of bulbs is huge and there are thousands of different varieties and cultivars available. But before you start buying you need to know the difference between bulbs, corms, tubers, and rhizomes.

Types of bulbs

  • True bulbs are formed from fleshy leaf bases or leaves forming concentric rings around a basal plate. The outer 'leaves' form a protective skin to protect the bulb; a good example of a true bulb is the daffodil.
  • Corms are formed from the swollen bases of a stem and are regrown every year. Corms include members of the crocus and gladioli family.
  • Tubers are knobbly irregular-shaped swollen stems or roots that are used to store food for the plant. Often confused with rhizomes, tubers can be found on plants such as dahlia, corydalis and cyclamen.
  • Rhizomes are swollen stems found underground and are found on plants such as irises and members of the liliaceae family. They usually grow horizontally and send up shoots periodically.

    Easy bulbs to try
    Daffodils
    Daffodils are best planted from August to November ready for flowering in spring. There are thousands of different varieties and the easiest to grow are generally hybrid ones, and the most commonly planted. They prefer well-drained soil with some sun or light shade. They will grow pretty much anywhere except for really soggy soil, where they will just rot. They should be planted three times the height of the bulb deep or if planted in a lawn a little deeper, about 15cms deep. If your soil is really heavy you should sprinkle some grit in the hole to aid drainage. If you're planting in a window box or container, a great tip is to plant them at different depths almost in layers so you can squeeze more in for a colourful display.

    Tulips
    Tulips available in all sorts of varieties and cultivars, from single-flowered ones to doubles and ones with colourful foliage. They are also grouped as to their flowering season (early-mid spring, late spring, and early summer). This means that if you choose well you can have a display for a good few months and this is really handy seeing as individually they are quite short-lived.

    Tulips should be planted in October and November because they like cold weather to help them root well, but you can get away with planting them later in the year. They like sandy soil in plenty of sun with a little protection from cold winds. They should be planted 10cms deep and the same distance apart. When they start to show in spring make sure to water them to well to help them grow tall and strong. Also when you plant them, top-dress them with a little soil to give them a good nutrition boost. They are the same as daffodils in the fact you should wait to cut the leaves back so they can restock energy for next year. Be warned: tulips attract the gardener's worst enemy, slugs!

    Crocuses
    Crocuses are dead easy to grow and you have autumn flowering varieties and spring flowering to choose from. Autumn-flowering varieties should be planted from August to October and spring-flowering from September to November. Plant them between 6-10cms deep and the same distance apart. Much like tulips, they like free-draining soil so if you have heavy soil add some grit to the planting hole or even mix it with the soil. Top dress them with a general fertiliser and fork it in. There is no need to dead-head so when they die back simply leave them alone.

    Others bulbs you could try are snowdrops, alliums, dahlia, gladioli, iris and cyclamen.

    • Related sections: Plants & plant care

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