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If you read our article about planting up containers for spring, you may have wondered about planting bulbs in the garden. And yes, indeed, now is the time to be ordering bulbs, ready for planting any time from now until about mid-October or early November.
One way to get a bit ahead for the spring is to sow seeds of hardy annuals now. Sown outside, they will overwinter in a state of dormancy, and then start to grow the moment the soil starts to warm up in the spring. When you stop to think about it for a moment, it makes sense, because that’s what happens naturally! Plants broadcast their seeds in the late summer or autumn, and the seeds stay in the soil overwinter, and then grow in spring. So why would it not work for you?
You may well have seen plants labelled ‘alpines’ in garden centres or nurseries, and wondered about growing them. While many of the plants so labelled have no special requirements, others do have specialist needs, so here are a few top tips to help you.
As the days shorten, you may be looking for a project to keep you out in the garden while the weather remains inviting. In which case, how about making a ‘stone trough’ for your plants? You can either save it for next year, to use for alpines, or plant it up with dwarf bulbs including rockery narcissi, dwarf iris and crocus, and low-growing spring flowering plants such as primulas, for a beautiful early spring display.