Cotswold Garden Maintenance – Is your Garden Spring Ready?
As winter draws to a close, here at PAS Landscapes we are excited to see how spring will transform our garden landscapes.
This Month, while our bulbs begin to blossom and bring an abundance of colour to our thoughtfully crafted outdoor living spaces, we take a look at our favourite flowering bulbs, and how to make your garden look great during spring. The fantastic thing about bulbs is they are not only for garden beds. Bulbs look amazing in pots, shallow dishes, ornamental buckets and barrels, so they are a great way to add vibrance and colour to any part of your garden. If maintained correctly, bulbs will flourish, producing a stunning floral display year after year. Discover our favourite spring flowering bulbs below.
Our Top 9 Spring Flowering Bulbs
Daffodil Narcissus
The Daffodil Narcissus has many varieties dating back to pre 1938. Daffodils are the name we all associate with these spring glories but the botanical genus is Narcissus. This golden yellow large flower, which reminds me of my childhood, is magnificently impressive and excellent for naturalising.
Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis
A beautiful, simple flower that pops its head in the depths of the dreary January and February months. Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis is one of the most common. They have green marking on the inside tepal, a honey scent that is hard to resist, and look beautiful in shaded areas of the garden, returning year after year.
English Bluebells
The true English Bluebell, these beautiful, fragrant native flowers are ideal for woodland planting. However, they are also great for planting in long grass or along the garden border. Blooming heartily from mid spring, and becoming dominant by early summer, these delicate flowers look spectacular in mass.
Pheasant’s Eye Narcissus
Although one of the last to blossom this stunning bulb is worth the wait. Their pure white petals with a deep red eye, are more delicate in flower than the larger bolder groups, perfect narcissi for naturalising. These lovely old pheasant eye daffodils will bring prolonged colour to the late spring garden.
Allium Giganteum
These spectacular, purple ball shaped flowers are one of the tallest Alliums available and grow to around 120cm tall. Bringing architectural structure to the garden border, these densely packed star shaped flowers look fantastic planted with ornamental grasses or low growing perennial plants.
Hyacinth Blue Jacket
Mid-blue fading to softer blue with a hint of white. Hyacinth Blue Jackets are a lovely new introduction to any out door space, the colours fade and blend as the flower develops and the sweet fragrance will fill your garden. They can be lasagne planted wit tulips, daffodils and crocus for a stunning effect in the spring.
Tulip Continental
Tulips are the floral fireworks of the spring garden, providing a burst of colour from mid March to mid May. This dark maroon-purple Tulip is a beautiful sultry addition, accentuated by it’s dark stem. This lovely tulip will mix easily with dark reds, purples, orange and pinks for a long lasting show of colour.
Crocus Pickwick
This beautiful Dutch Crocus is extremely vigorous, long-lived and appropriate for neutralising. Known for its flowers that are larger than any other of the crocus species, this is certainly a first-rate choice for planting in big, bold drifts of grass, where it will quickly spread and look stunning.
Eremurus White Beauty
A recently introduced Ruiter hybrid, with spectacular tapering plumes that are clothed with brilliant white flowers, that open gradually from the bottom upwards. Enjoy them in the garden, or cut them and add to arrangements inside the house where they will often last for many weeks.
Maintaining your bulbs throughout the year
If you are new to planting bulbs, it can be a little challenging and confusing. Common questions include: How many bulbs are needed? When is the right time to plant them? and will my bulbs last through a freezing winter?
One of the main things to keep in mind when planting bulbs is the season. Bulbs generally grow in the spring, summer and fall. While most bulbs take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to bloom, some can take more depending on the zone, soil and temperature of your area. Another important thing to note is once your flower bulb has grown, maintenance is required to keep it colourful and alive. Aside from watering, mulching and fertilising, keeping them away from critters is very important as well.
Seem like a lot to keep on top of? Don’t worry, our skilled team of professional qualified gardeners are on hand to help with cotswold garden maintenance, and keep it looking great throughout the year.
