Tips for Beautiful Bulbs

Autumn is the best time to plant and feed flowering bulbs for a splash of colour in your garden.

If you're getting a jump-start on spring and planting your bulbs now, we have put together our tips to ensure you have a stunning spring show. 

Tips for bulb success

• Most bulbs should be pre-chilled in your fridge until the desired planting time, just make sure not to store them with your apples.
• The end of daylight saving is the perfect time to plant your bulbs - and it’s easy to remember!
• Stake and mark areas where bulbs are planted so you don’t put the spade through them when you’re digging in the garden over autumn and winter.
• Bulbs can often last for years in the ground undisturbed, with new bulbs forming until they get crowded and need dividing. If you find the plant is not flowering as well, or flowers are smaller than usual, it might be time to lift and divide.
• If you do need to lift and divide bulbs, autumn is the time to do it. Gently ease a fork under the bulb, wriggle them out of the soil, separate the bulb clumps like you would a clove of garlic, then replant in the soil with some Tui Bulb Mix.
• Daffodils tend to be fine left in the ground but frost tender bulbs may need lifting and storing over winter and replanting in late winter, early spring.
• Bulbs can rot in the ground if they are constantly wet. If your bulbs are planted in a spot that is particularly wet in winter, you might like to lift and store them indoors until the worst of the rain has passed, then replant them in pots.
• After flowering, bulbs naturally die down and their leaves will wilt and go brown. This is an important part of the life cycle, allowing the bulb to store energy for the next season. Cutting off the leaves too soon can affect both flowering and bulb health the following season.

Planting inspiration

• Plant groups of bulbs like daffodils, tulips or alliums amongst shrubs to create bright pops of colour within the greenery.
• Stagger planting your bulbs for continuous colour. By planting your bulbs in groups a few weeks apart, you’ll be rewarded with an extended display when new blooms emerge as the old ones die off.
• Create ‘garden bouquets’ either in the ground or in pots by layering smaller bulbs over top of bigger bulbs. E.g. plant daffodils or tulips 15cm deep, then plant grape hyacinths 7cm on top of them, or mix together your favourites and you’ll have your own spring bouquets ready to pick or simply admire. Making bulb lasagne is a similar idea, discover how to do it here >

Bulb faves

Bulbs that love the sun – daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, ranunculus, anemone, freesia.
Bulbs that love the shade – snowdrop, bluebells, snowflake, trillium.

Bulb planting essentials

Plant into Tui Bulb Mix, a free-draining mix with the right blend of nutrients to provide your bulbs with the best possible start and
sustained growth throughout the season.

Feed your bulbs with Tui Bulb Food or Tui Novatec Premium Fertiliser when planting, when stems begin to appear, when they start to flower and again as they die down each year and you’ll continue to be rewarded with stunning displays.

To give bulbs the best start, add a layer of Tui Mulch & Feed over the top of the area, this will keep the weeds away and keep the bulbs cosy over winter. 

Follow our full Bulb Growing Guide here >