Garden Work

Garden centres are full of spring bulbs at the moment, so buy now, before the best and most interesting ones are gone

Garden centres are full of spring bulbs at the moment, so buy now, before the best and most interesting ones are gone. All should be planted immediately except for the big, blowsy, Dutch-type tulips, which should be kept in a cool, dark place until November. Small species tulips like the pink T. saxatilis and the yellow T. tarda can be planted now.

In normal soils, plant bulbs (pointed side up) at twice their own depth and spaced apart about three times their width. In heavier soils you can plant them more shallowly, and in sandy soils more deeply. Larger daffodils have foliage that looks ungainly when flowering is finished: these should be planted near the back of a border or where the leaves are masked by emerging perennials. Or plant some of the many dwarf varieties available. Always plant bulbs in naturalistic clumps or drifts, and place them where you can see them from the window and when you come in the gate.