Autumn Is the Busiest Time in the Bulb Calendar

There is something quietly hopeful about setting a bulb into the soil on a grey October afternoon. You are planting a promise — a small brown parcel that will sit through the frosts and then, just when you have almost forgotten it, push up a green shoot and remind you that spring is on its way.

The window for planting is wider than most people think, but it is not endless. As a rough guide:

• Daffodils and narcissi: plant from early September to late October. They need time to root before the cold sets in.
• Snowdrops: September to November for dry bulbs, though they establish far better when planted "in the green" in February or March.
• Tulips: November into early December is ideal. Planting them late helps avoid tulip fire, a fungal problem that thrives in warm, damp autumn soil.

If you have missed the ideal moment, plant anyway. A bulb in the ground in December will usually still flower, just a little later and slightly shorter than its better-timed neighbours.

Choosing Bulbs Worth Your Space

Buy the fattest, firmest bulbs you can find. Squeeze them gently — they should feel heavy and solid, like a small onion, with no soft patches or blue-grey mould. Cheap bulbs are rarely a bargain; they tend to be undersized and flower poorly in their first year.

For a long, generous season, think in layers of flowering time.

• Snowdrops (Galanthus): the earliest of all, often blooming in January. They look best naturalised in drifts beneath deciduous shrubs or along a hedge line.
• Daffodils: the reliable heart of spring. Choose 'Tête-à-Tête' for pots and small spaces, ' February Gold' for an early splash, or 'Actaea' for a fragrant, late-season poeticus type.
• Tulips: for cut flowers and drama. Species tulips such as Tulipa turkestanica come back year after year, while tall Darwin hybrids give you the classic cottage-garden look.

Add a few muscari or dwarf iris if you have gaps, and you will have colour from January right through to May.

Getting the Depth Right

This is where most disappointing displays begin. The rule of thumb is simple: plant each bulb at three times its own height, measured from the base of the bulb to the soil surface.

• Small bulbs such as snowdrops and crocus: 5–8cm deep.
• Daffodils: 10–15cm deep, roughly a spade's depth.
• Large tulips: 15–20cm deep, which also helps them stand firm in wind.

Space bulbs about two to three times their own width apart. Closer planting gives a fuller look in the first year, but tighter than that and they will compete for water and nutrients. If you are naturalising in grass, scatter the bulbs by hand and plant them exactly where they land — it looks far more natural than a neat row.

Soil, Drainage and a Handful of Grit

Bulbs rot in waterlogged ground, and British winters offer plenty of that. Before planting, fork the area over to a spade's depth and mix in some well-rotted compost or leaf mould. On heavy clay, put a centimetre of horticultural grit in the bottom of each planting hole and sit the bulb on top of it, pointed end upwards.

If you are planting in a lawn, lift a flap of turf with a spade, tuck the bulbs underneath, and press the turf back down. For containers, use a peat-free bulb fibre or a good multipurpose compost mixed with grit, and make sure there are drainage holes. Terracotta dries out faster than plastic, so keep an eye on pots through dry spells in late winter.

A generous handful of bulb food or bone meal at planting time gives roots something to work with. Avoid fresh manure, which can burn the bulbs.

Planting in Pots and the Lasagne Method

Containers are perfect if your soil is poor or your garden is small. The trick is layering, often called the lasagne method: place the largest, latest-flowering bulbs — tulips — at the bottom, cover with compost, then add a layer of daffodils, cover again, and finish with small early bulbs such as crocus or muscari near the surface. All three layers will push through at their own pace for weeks of colour from one pot.

Squirrels and mice are the great bulb thieves. Lay a sheet of chicken wire over the compost surface, weighted with a few stones, and remove it once shoots appear. A scattering of chilli powder or a mulch of sharp grit also helps.

Waiting, Then the Payoff

Once planted, water them in and then largely leave them alone. Mark the spot with a discreet label or a few small canes so you do not dig them up by accident while tidying the border.

When spring arrives, resist the urge to tidy too soon. Let the foliage die back naturally for at least six weeks after flowering — that yellowing leaves are feeding the bulb for next year. Deadhead daffodils and tulips so they do not waste energy on seed, but leave the leaves be. Feed with a high-potash fertiliser as the flowers fade.

Snowdrops are best left undisturbed for years; they will multiply happily on their own. Daffodils can be lifted and divided every three or four years if clumps become crowded, and tulips may need replacing annually in wet soils.

Plant a few more than you think you need, in more places than you planned. Come February, when the garden looks bare and the light is thin, those first green tips pushing through the cold earth will feel like the best few pounds you ever spent.