Do this vital November gardening job now to fill your outside space with colour & stop disease next year – says expert
IT’S November! Which means it’s officially Tulip Bulb Planting time.
Unlike daffodils, these beauties would rather be planted in a colder soil – as the lower temperatures help reduce the risk of fungal and viral diseases that can affect the bulbs.
It’s the best defence against botrytis – which can cause the dreaded Tulip Fire – which produces brown spots and twisted, withered and distorted leaves.
And nowadays there’s an astonishing range of colours, heights and types.
Naomi Jones, horticulturist at bulb experts Farmer Gracy, told Sun Gardening: “Spring bulbs should be planted at 2-3 times the depth of the bulb size. For tulips, a good planting depth is 15-20cm.
“You can go for a full mixed planting scheme with a variety of different bulbs all spaced at approximately 10-15cm apart from each other, or 5cm apart from each other if growing in pots.
“If you prefer something more organised, you can plant your bulbs in groups, drifts or swathes without intermingling them with each other.
VERONICA'S TOP TULIP PICKS
Get your bulbs in the ground this month - there's great deals everywhere.
‘Queen of the Night‘ – dependable and late flowering
‘Ballerina’ – best for planting in groups, with a light scent.
‘Lemon Beauty’ – great for contrasting with purple alliums
‘Purissima‘ – early flowering, best in pots
‘Acuminata’ – Perennial that will eventually naturalist – smaller heads
“Remember to plant bulbs which grow to a lower height closer to the front of a border than taller varieties, which should be nearer the back.
“When planting in groups, odd numbers look best for groups of 10 bulbs or less. The aim is to achieve a gradient from low to high when planting in a border.
“In large pots, you can plant tall varieties in the centre with lower-growing varieties around the edge. Choose a well draining pot, and plant your bulbs close together without them touching each other.
“You can also layer bulbs to create a succession of blooms in one pot.”
She added: “Your soil type can have an impact on how well the bulbs grow. Spring bulbs grow happily in any free draining, crumbly soil.
“For pots, we recommend using multipurpose compost. Spring bulbs won’t enjoy very wet conditions, so if you have a heavy soil type like clay which also has a tendency to become waterlogged over winter, it is best to avoid planting bulbs in this area but work at improving the texture of the soil over time.
“Digging in mulch, such as fallen leaves, during winter every year will gradually improve the texture and aid drainage so you can enjoy a wider variety of bulbs in this area in future.”
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NEWS! Monty Don has announced that he’ll be creating a dog friendly garden for Chelsea Flower Show next year.
The RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden will be the first designed by the Gardeners World presenter. He said: “This is an irresistible opportunity to join with the RHS and Radio 2 to share my love of gardens and dogs at the world’s greatest horticultural event.n Along with the superb team headed by Jamie Butterworth we shall be making a garden that is inspired by Longmeadow and my own dogs but above all a celebration of the way that so many of us share our gardens with our canine companions.” Keen gardener and Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley, will be encouraging listeners to contribute to a special dog playlist which will be played in the garden.
SAVE! B&Q have a lightweight galvanised steel 65 litre wheelbarrow for £106.99. Or, Dennyshop.co.uk have a heavy duty version for just £23.49
WIN! Burgon and Ball are offering THREE lucky readers a RHS Gifts for Gardeners ‘Asteraceae’ bundle of a trowel, fork, gloves and secateurs. Each bundle is worth £68.47. To enter fill in THIS FORM. Or for more details visit www.thesun.co.uk/BURGON or write to Sun Burgon and Ball Comp, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Ends 23.59GMT 16/.11.24 T&Cs apply.
TOP TIP: Bulb sales are happening all over the place at the moment – it’s not too late to plant any kind – so have a trawl and bag some bargains.
JOB OF THE WEEK: As well as planting tulips, you can get bare root apples and pear trees in the ground.