BLOOMING BEAUTIFUL BULBS
The leaves are falling and autumn is calling!
Like ourselves, our gardens need routine and autumn is considered nature’s natural time for gardening – the soil is still warm so it’s the perfect time to add shrubs, trees and plants to your garden.
One of our favourite jobs in the gardening calendar has to be planting spring bulbs! But with so many bulb varieties to choose from, Team Tong have picked out a few that are certain to WOW when spring comes around!
English Grown Bluebells
English Grown Bluebells are a favourite of many – and it’s easy to see why! So easy to grow and quick to spread, you can recreate your very own woodland look with a carpet of magical blue flowers!
Allium Graceful Beauty
Dave, our Garden Sundries Manager has picked his ‘bulb of the season’ the Black Parrot Tulip. Effortlessly tasteful, its large, blousy blooms and feathered petals will make a real statement in your garden when spring comes around!
Iris Harmony
One of the earliest spring flowers to appear, Iris Harmony produce velvety-blue flowers with a vibrant yellow streak that will help inject colour into your garden during the colder months!
Naricissi Tete-A-Tete
A best seller here at Tong, Naricissi Tete-A-Tete brighten up your garden even the dullest of spring days! Undemanding and easy to grow, they always look great when planted in clusters and can be grown in borders, rockeries or containers!
To create a continuous burst of colour that lasts all spring, try underplanting your bulbs. As bulbs are planted at different depths and bloom at different times of the year, planting combinations of bulbs in layers within in a container will give you a succession of different flowers as the season progresses. The team at Tong can advise on which bulbs to layer, just ask in store.
And we’d always recommend mixing in bulb planting compost when planting to encourage strong, healthy growth of all bulb types.
Visit our store to browse our expansive range of beautiful spring flowering bulbs!
DAVE’S GUIDE TO LASAGNE PLANTING
Planting your bulbs in layers will create stunning and ever-evolving pots and containers that reward you with colour throughout the whole of spring! This method is called lasagne planting and it’s so simple to do!
1. Choose a large container or pot and make sure there is at least one hole in the bottom for drainage. Dave recommends lining the base with clay pebbles to help with drainage.
2. Add a layer of bulb fibre to the bottom of your container or pot.
3. Place your late flowering bulbs at the bottom and cover with 5cm or so of bulb fibre. Repeat this process with your mid and early flowering bulbs until you have planted three layers of bulbs.
4. Once you have covered the last layer, give your container a good water.
5. Finish with autumn bedding such as Pansies or Violas to give you colour throughout autumn and winter.
For more information about underplanting and top tips on bulb planting and colourful combinations, see a member of our team in store – they really know their onions!
