Five favourites: Spring bulbs to plant now

Spring bulbs of tulips and narcissus growing in reclaimed pots in front of a stone wall

If you want a garden filled with a profusion of colourful flowers in the Spring months, then Autumn is the time to plant bulbs!

Spring bulbs can be planted any time in the Autumn months from September onwards, as long as the ground isn’t waterlogged or frozen. October and early November are perfect months for most bulb planting – and the particularly warm temperatures we’re having in the UK this year mean the bulb planting window can be extended for even longer.

If you’re looking for inspiration for what to plant, here are five of our very favourite Spring bulbs. You could get them in the ground this weekend!

Alliums

Alliums have been one of the most popular bulbs in our gardens for a good few years now, and there is no sign of their popularity waning. Their huge lollipop-like flowers appear on top of thin green stems, adding structure and elegance to planting. Available in a huge range of colours, from the traditional blue and purple balls, to whites, pinks and (one of our favourites) the small deep burgundy flowers of Allium sphaerocephalon.

They look great in borders, popping up among perennials, but they also work really well in pots, where they can make a huge statement planted en masse.

It’s best to get them into the ground around now (October - November) before temperatures start to drop.

See more on how to grow them in our allium plant guide.

Purple allium providing nectar for a bee

2. Tulips

Arguably even more popular than alliums at the moment, tulips are having a moment in the spotlight to rival the tulip mania of the 17th Century…

Gorgeous and photogenic varieties such as ‘La Belle Epoque’ have been huge on Instagram and more and more people are planting tulip bulbs in their gardens.

The choice of tulips is absolutely vast, from frilly-edged parrot varieties, double petalled flowers that almost look like peonies, to the more traditional shapes, like the ones pictured on the left (Tulip ‘Caviar’).

Tulip bulbs are best planted in late Autumn, from November onwards, once the ground temperature has dropped. This helps the bulb avoid fungal diseases that are more prevalent in warmer soils,

Tulips don’t last well in the ground in the UK, so need to be re-planted every few years, or you can plant them in pots and lift them out to store inside after they have flowered and died back.

For more on how to grow tulips, as well as some of our favourite varieties, see our tulip plant guide.

3. Daffodils

One of the earlier bulbs to appear in the year, the cheery daffodil (botanical name: Narcissus) is a sign of sunnier days ahead and the start of Spring.

As with the two bulbs above, more and more different types of daffodil are being bred every year, so there is a dizzying array of flowers to choose from. We love the smaller plants, such as Narcissus ‘Minnow’ pictured on the right, or the bright yellow ‘Tête-à-Tête’ — both of which look especially good growing in pots.

Daffodil bulbs are planted in early Autumn and many will naturalise and create drifts after a few years, coming back year after year with more flowers each time. As they flower and die back early in the year, they can be planted in lawns, as long as the grass isn’t mown before the green leaves have totally died back.

One of the hardiest and easiest of all bulbs to grow, they’re worth a spot somewhere in the garden!

For more on growing and planting daffodils, see our narcissus plant guide.

Narcissus 'Minnow' growing in a reclaimed water butt — Narcissus ‘Minnow’

A jumble of blue mascara plants with some yellow daffodils growing in a steel planter — Muscari growing with daffodils

4. Muscari

Often known as grape hyacinths, muscari are a really sweet, low-growing bulb, with tiny flowers in blue, pink or white.

Because of their small size, they’re best planted in large drifts, so they don’t get lost. One of the first bulbs to appear at the start of the year, they look great growing with other very early flowers, such as daffodils, ipheion or chionodoxa. They’re not fussy about where they grow and can cope with most types of soil, but prefer a spot with part shade.

Muscari will naturalise after a while, spreading and putting out more flowers with each passing year. If they start to become congested, just lift the plants and divide them every few years.

Muscari also look great growing in pots, especially if these are on raised surfaces so you can really see and appreciate the small flowers!

Plant in October - November. As the bulbs are small, you can dig a single hole and plant around 20-30 bulbs, close together, but not touching. This will create an impressive looking drift in the Spring time! Plant to a depth three times as deep as the bulb (around 10cm).

5. Camassia

Less well-known than the other bulbs we’ve mentioned, we think that Camassia are deserving of a bit more popularity! We’ve been experimenting growing this gorgeous bulb in our lawn, alongside some white daffodils (pictured to the right) and we love the effect in Spring.

Camassia are available as white or blue flowers, the flower spikes emerging in April - May, almost like a firework on top of the stalk.

They can be planted in grass and naturalised, or grow well in beds too, where they can look especially good popping up around evergreen structure. They dislike root disturbance, so tend not to do so well in pots, unless they are left in situ throughout the year.

They’re a resilient plant, happy in heavy soils, though they do prefer fertile soil. They need a spot in full sun to part shade.

They will gradually form clumps over time, so can be lifted and divided to break them up every few years.