Get into gardening

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.