Bulbs are great for anyone who rates themselves as a 'keen-but-clueless' gardener, because they’re one of the easiest plants to grow. Provided you plant them at the right time of year, at about the right depth, they’ll reward you with beautiful flowers year after year.
When to plant?
The planting time for bulbs depends on their flowering time. Spring-flowering bulbs should be planted from early autumn, so they have time to produce new roots before the onset of winter. Summer-flowering bulbs are best planted from late spring onwards. To get a better idea what to plant when, take a look at the table below:
| Type of bulb |
Planting time |
Depth |
Spacing |
| Allium |
Early autumn |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
15-30cm (6-12in) |
| Anemone |
Early autumn |
5cm (2in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Arum |
Mid-summer |
15cm (6in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Begonia |
Spring |
2.5cm (1in) |
22-30cm (9-12in) |
| Chionodoxa |
Early autumn |
2.5-5cm (1-2in) |
7cm (3in) |
| Colchicum |
Late spring |
7cm (3in) |
10-15cm (4-6in) |
| Crocus, spring |
Late summer |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Crocus, autumn |
Mid-summer |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Cyclamen |
Late summer |
2.5cm (1in) |
15cm (6in) |
| Eranthis |
Late summer |
2.5-5cm (1-2in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Erythronium |
Late summer |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Fritillaria |
Early autumn |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
15-45cm (6-18in) |
| Galanthus |
Late summer |
7-10cm (3-4in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Gladiolus |
Mid-spring |
7-10cm (3-4in) |
10-15cm (4-6in) |
| Hyacinthus |
Early autumn |
10cm (4in) |
20cm (8in) |
| Iris reticulata |
Autumn |
7-10cm (3-4in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Leucojum |
Late summer |
7-10cm (3-4in) |
10-20cm (4-8in) |
| Lilium |
Mid-autumn |
10-15cm (4-5in) |
15-45cm (6-18in) |
| Muscari |
Late summer |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
10cm (4in) |
| Narcissus |
Late summer |
5-12cm (2-5in) |
10-20cm (4-8in) |
| Nerine |
Spring |
2.5cm (1in) |
15cm (6in) |
| Ornathogalum |
Mid-autumn |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
10-15cm (4-6in) |
| Puschkinia |
Early autumn |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
7cm (3in) |
| Scilla |
Late summer |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
5-10cm (2-4in) |
| Sternbergia |
Mid-summer |
7cm (3in) |
12cm (5in) |
| Tigridia |
Late spring |
5-7cm (2-3in) |
15cm (6in) |
| Tulipa |
Late autumn |
7-15cm (3-6in) |
10-20cm (4-8in) |
Planting tips:
- All bulbs should be planted with the 'nose' (pointed bit where the shoot comes out) at the top and the 'basal plate' (flat bit where the roots are produced) at the bottom.
- To achieve a natural-looking group of flowers you’ll need to plant the bulbs in irregular blocks at variable planting distances. If you find this difficult, try scattering the bulbs and planting them exactly where they land.
