Autumn is the perfect time to plant spring flowering bulbs. Honestly, this has to be right up there as one of the easiest and most rewarding jobs to do in the garden – pop them into the soil right now and pretty much forget about them!

Seriously, can’t get any easier can it? But follow a few basic planting rules and come spring time you will be heavily rewarded with an impressive and dazzling show of colour that will be a guaranteed show stopper and, considering you planted them many months earlier, it will likely be you who will stopped in your tracks too!

My top tips for planting and enjoying spring bulbs:

  • Plant bulbs in holes three times as deep as the bulb itself. So plant smaller bulbs shallower and bigger bulbs deeper.
  • Make a hole and place the bulbs with their shoot (pointy nose), facing upwards. Unsure? Just plant the bulb sideways and let the bulb work out heads from tails.
  • Bulbs work wonders in borders or in pots. They love to be mass planted so don’t skimp on quantity – plant many together for maximum impact. Just be sure to space them at least twice their own width apart.
  • Bulbs in lawns work wonders too – especially crocus are best renowned for adding a fantastic early splash of colour to a well trimmed spring lawn.
  • Like all flowering plants, bulbs love a good dose of potassium to help encourage a bountiful bloom. Feed bulbs a regular dose of liquid feed rich in potassium during the main growing season.
  • Some bulbs such as tulips do best if lifted after the foliage has died back and stored in a cool, dry place before replanting the following Autumn.

    Here on our edible campus at the University of Roehampton, with the help of our lovely student volunteers, we’ve just planted a host of bulbs right across our growing spaces, ready to burst out come spring time! Where I hear you ask? Well, that is half the surprise isn’t it? You’ll just have to wait and see come early spring next year!

    Until then, happy bulbing!

Joel
Joel Williams is the Grower for the University of Roehampton Students’ Union’s Growhampton project