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🌱 Quick Answer Plant Camassia bulbs in September or October, 10 to 15cm deep and 15 to 20cm apart, in sun or light shade. They thrive in heavy clay and soil that’s wet in winter and spring, naturalise in meadows and long grass, and flower in late April to June before coming back year after […]

🌱 Quick Answer English bluebells droop to one side, have narrow leaves, deep violet flowers with curled back tips, cream pollen and a sweet scent. Spanish bluebells stand upright with flowers all round the stem, broad leaves, paler open bells and blue pollen. Plant cultivated English bluebells 10cm deep in autumn, or in the green […]

🌱 Quick Answer Plant Crocus bulbs (technically corms) in September and October, though anything in the ground before Christmas will usually still flower. Set them 8 to 10cm deep, pointed tip up, 5 to 8cm apart in full sun or under deciduous trees. They flower from February to April and come back every year. That’s […]

Quick Answer Plant spring bulbs in pots from September to October, and Tulips in November, at three times the bulb’s height deep. Use a pot with drainage holes, at least 30cm deep, filled with peat-free compost mixed with about 30% grit. Pack the bulbs close together, water in, and leave the pot outside over winter. […]

Quick Answer Plant spring bulbs such as Daffodils, Crocus and Alliums from September to October, and Tulips in November. Summer bulbs like Lilies, Gladioli and Dahlias go in from March to May, and autumn bulbs in July and August. Plant every bulb at three times its own height, pointed end up, in well-drained soil. Every […]

Quick Answer The best time to plant Daffodil bulbs in the UK is September and October, while the soil still holds enough warmth for the roots to establish before winter. November is fine, and you can plant as late as December as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Plant them 15cm deep, pointed end up, […]

Quick Answer Heucheras grow best in partial shade in free-draining soil, planted with the crown level with the surface. Plant in spring or early autumn, mulch without burying the crown, and divide every three to four years in spring. Revive woody, lifting plants by replanting them deeper, and check pot-grown plants for vine weevil grubs. […]

Quick Answer Skimmia japonica is a compact evergreen shrub for shade that needs very little care. Plant it in light to full shade in moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil or a pot of ericaceous compost. Only female plants carry berries, and they need a male nearby, unless you choose the self-fertile Skimmia japonica subsp. reevesiana. Yellow […]

Quick Answer Pyracantha (firethorn) is a tough, thorny evergreen shrub that grows in sun or shade on almost any soil, flowers white in early summer and carries red, orange or yellow berries through autumn and winter. Prune it lightly after flowering, then shorten new growth in late summer to show off the berries, always checking […]

Quick Answer Compost is decomposed organic matter you can mix into the soil to improve structure and feed plants but also be used as a mulch. Mulch is any material you spread on top of the soil to suppress weeds, retain moisture and protect the surface. They do different jobs and work brilliantly used together. […]