This is the time of year when pots and pots of bulbs make their way to the markets. They make fantastic festive gifts. Planted in a range of different sized attractive containers, there are forced bulbs for indoor colour and heady scent such as hyacinths and narcissi as well as iris reticulata and a range of miniature narcissi to break the gloom of late Winter and early Spring.
These bulbs are all just emerging and will continue growing whatever winter throws at them. Images below are to give you an idea of what they will look like when flower.
Here’s what’s available this coming week from Nov 30:
Outdoor Spring Bulbs
Iris Reticulata: JS Dijt & Pixie in lovely, very old terracotta pots £5.50
Iris Reticulata have gorgeous jewel-like flowers which appear in late Winter just at the right time to give hope that Spring is coming. Despite their delicate appearance, they can withstand the very coldest and worst of weathers and can also be brought inside to enjoy up close. They can either be planted out in the garden after flowering or kept in their pots and enjoyed year after year. Allow them to die back naturally to strengthen the bulbs for the next year. Grow to around 15cms.
JS Dijt: A rich purple variety the flowers of which have a delicate pattern of golden yellow spots. It is beautiful and
Pixie: A favourite of garden writers, including Monty Don, this is a very pretty variety with violet-blue flowers with white and yellow markings.
Muscari Valerie Finnis: £5.50 small terracotta pots
An excellent porcelain blue grape hyacinth which comes back reliably year after year and can be divided once clumped up; it is not invasive and produces lots of flowers in mid to late Spring.
Dwarf Narcissi Casual Elegance & Arctic Bells: £5.50 in lovely, old terracotta pots £5.50
Casual Elegance a miniature hoop petticoat narcissus with bright yellow trumpet shaped flowers that appear in early Spring. It grows to between 15 & 20 cms and is a cheerful reminder that Winter is on its way out.
Arctic Bells is a beautiful and unusual miniature narcissus which has creamy yellow flowers which fade to white with a classic hoop-petticoat shape. It is reliably perennial and despite its delicate appearance can survive the toughest weather conditions. Grows to between 10 and 20 cms and pops up in early Spring.
There will be more bulbs available next week.
There will be more bulbs available next week.
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