Guides / Bulbs
Bulbs
Seasonal plants grown from bulbs, corms and tubers.
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Bearded Iris
Iris germanica
How to grow bearded iris, Iris germanica. Why the rhizome needs a hot, dry summer to flower well and rots readily where summers stay humid, planting it sitting on the soil surface rather than buried, and the sap that raises a rash during division.
Bluebell
Hyacinthoides non-scripta
How to grow English bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scripta. Telling them from the Spanish invader, planting in the green, and why you must never cut the leaves.
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Garden Tulip
Tulipa gesneriana
How to grow garden tulips, Tulipa gesneriana. Why they go in late, how deep to plant, why the second year disappoints, and how to spot tulip fire before it spreads.
Giant Allium
Allium giganteum
Practical guidance for growing giant allium, Allium giganteum, including its tall stems, dense round flower heads, deep planting, dry summer dormancy, and toxicity to pets.
Glory of the Snow
Chionodoxa forbesii
Practical guidance for growing glory of the snow, Chionodoxa forbesii, including naturalising in turf, planting depth, dry summer dormancy, squirrel damage, and mild bulb toxicity.
Grape hyacinth
Muscari armeniacum
How to grow grape hyacinths, Muscari armeniacum. Planting depth, why the leaves appear in autumn and look untidy all winter, and how to stop it taking over.
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Meadow Saffron
Colchicum autumnale
How to grow autumn crocus, Colchicum autumnale. The leafless autumn flowers, why it is not saffron, the colchicine that makes it lethal and how it differs from a true crocus.
Montbretia
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora
How to grow crocosmia, Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora. Arching sprays of orange in late summer, dividing congested corms, and why montbretia escapes into the countryside.
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Saffron Crocus
Crocus sativus
How to grow the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus. Planting the corms in summer, picking the three red stigmas at dawn, and why the spice costs what it does.
Snake's head fritillary
Fritillaria meleagris
How to grow Fritillaria meleagris. Planting the fragile bulbs on their side, naturalising in damp grass, when to cut, and the lily beetle that strips them.
Snow Crocus
Crocus chrysanthus
Practical guidance for growing snow crocus, Crocus chrysanthus, including its earliest flowering time, naturalising in turf, corm dormancy, bird and rodent damage, and mild toxicity.
Snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis
How to grow snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis. Why to plant them in the green, how to divide a clump, and how poisonous the bulbs are.
Spring Crocus
Crocus vernus
How to plant and naturalise spring crocuses. Planting depth, why the leaves must stay, why sparrows shred the yellow ones, and how to tell them from the dangerous autumn crocus.
Star of Persia
Allium christophii
Practical guidance for growing star of Persia, Allium christophii, including its huge starry flower head, short sturdy stems, dry summer dormancy, self-seeding, and toxicity to pets.
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