bulbs

I have a pot of almost black violas that I've had for three years. A nice contrast with the pure white ones in another pot.

They are so sweet , I bought a whole lot the other week .
I noticed though that when I went to plant there was one left over from previous year , in the urn .

I dead head geraniums, pansies and petunias and find it encourages more flowers to grow. I so love the colours of pansies but I do try to only buy ones with nice faces!!

Well, we will all have the best show tulips and daffs in the neighbourhood.

Tanith what are you like i have to admit having a bit of a liking for Dandies . nice splash of colour . Good for bees ?

Finding these days I am not quite so quick to up flowering weeds ,

You also need to dead head daffs then as Nonu says all the goodness goes back into the bulb for next years flowers..
I dead head most things as I wander round my patch.. I spend a few minutes taking the flowers off any stray dandelions too under the misapprehension that I then won't get them spreading around the lawn... the fact that both my neighbours have a million dandelions spreading their seeds seems to slip under my radar..

I am a keen dead-header. One year I caught myself doing it to the pink-flowered strawberry plants. Not much fruit that year!

That's handy to know nonu. Thanks!

I was reading that if you snap off the heads of tulips you get bigger flowers next year.

Seems the goodness goes back into the bulb , rather seed production.

going to give it a try , The display is our garden is fabulous .

Thankyou for the paper bag idea, I have loads of freesia bulbs still with leaves attatched,lurking in a wheelbarrow. In the rest of the garden I leave them to "naturalize" or shove them back in but we have to take them out of a raised bed at least every other year so that it can be ready for nice cheerful annuals to welcome any potential paying guests. Then we can't resist putting them back in later as they are so lovely in the spring. I've got some tall slim lilies about to come out. I usually hope to see them on the First of May but this year theyare late and also covered in a blight of insects that I don't know what to do about. Probably caused by the cold wet winter.

Good on yer, glass! You'll need to tell me how to post photos from our phones onto here?

marelli when I was swinging the pickaxe I thought I must be mad, that was after trying to use a hand fork and it bounching off the stones, but looking at those daffodils today it was like they were fighting back and making it through all the rocks, I have a picture on my phone I will post it tomorrow,

thanks everybody. I do have some bulbs in pots as well! Like Nonu I love them as they cheer me up after Winter and I never know where they are going to appear. This year the grape Hyancinths are everywhere!. I will look for some paper bags to store them. Need to move quickly as bought bedding plants today

I've stopped taking bulbs out. If I dig one up accidentally, I just shove it back in. Seems fine.

In my mind's eye, I see you puffing as you swing that pickaxe, glass....the daffodils nodding in the breeze in the background !

I lift and store my tulip bulbs in paper carrier bags in my potting shed. I then write the colour on the front of each bag. I leave the dry leaves on and only remove them when about to replant them on the autumn.

I have kept looking at the daffodils I planted on the hillside at the house we are refubishing, they are gorgeous this year, made the hour with the pickaxe worth while, dreading planting the garden out as the whole garden is on rock.

You mean the very same chicken wire that I should have put under my compost bin to stop the rats!

Tegan I have a couple of clumps of agapanthus, one white one blue that do well each year. Then there's montbretia (crocosmia) which is pretty foolproof!
I have some lilies in pots that I'm going to put in the garden this year, but not sure whether they will survive long-term in the clay soil.

In pots cover the bulbs with medium size chicken wire then cover with soil. It will deter the pesky squirrels.

I've planted 1000s since our move here - and it is such a joy at this time of year. Will plant lots more in the autumn again- and luckily no grey squirrels here. The garden already had loads of snow-drops and wild crocuses, as well as scillas and stars of Bethleem. Can't wait for the new saffron crocuses to flower later and get my first crop.

The squirrels dig mine out of the pots and then [to add insult to injury bury them in my lawn]. But I've got a couple of pots of tete a tete on the go at the moment and they look lovely. Many years ago my ex SIL gave me a pot for Christmas that had many bulbs in that flowered over a period of time [probably one of the nicest presents I've ever had]. It's odd that I spend far too much money on annuals each year [always say I won't but I then get carried away at the garden centre] but never think to buy bulbs [or seeds for that matter]. Any tips for bulbs that will come back each summer in the borders?

Good idea Tanith , also they can be moved round patio to create different interest .

i do love my garden so .

Have you thought about planting them in pots? I've done this and when the bulbs are finished flowering you can lift them up and store somewhere out of the way while they die back..
I also grow bulbs in pots that I need to use for summer plants so I empty them out of the pot and let them die back , trim off the dead leaves and roots and store them hanging in paper bags in the garden shed till the Autumn when I replant them in pots.

I love bulbs also our garden is packed with them , I think I am especially fond of tulips , such different varieties .

Each year I buy a new lot to put in with the others .