The nights may be drawing in, but now is the time to put SPRING into your step and start planting your bulbs in readiness for a beautiful show of Springtime blooms.  Between now and November is the perfect time to bed in the bulbs.

From the early snowdrops that appear in February to the late flowering daffodils in April.  Here at Almondsbury Garden Centre we have everything that you will need to create a wonderful display of flowers and colour throughout the springtime months and if you plant your bulbs now, you can put in your winter bedding above so that your garden is colourful throughout the winter too!

From individual varieties to ready selected packs especially for patios, window boxes or wildlife lovers we have something for everyone.  You can buy either ready packaged bulbs or visit our hugely popular ‘fill a pot’ station with a multitude of varieties to create your very own pick and mix selection.

Our plant area experts are always on hand to give help and advice and have put together a few suggestions and top tips for you to try this autumn.

Why not try a fragrant variety of Daffodil, such as Narcissus canaliculatus, Narcissus cragford or Narcissus thalia to add scent as well as colour to your garden?

How about giving some of our native species a go, for instance, Narcissus obvallaris (Daffodil), Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop), Scilla non-scripta (English bluebell), Fritillaria Meleagris (Snakes Head Lilly), Eranthis hyemalis (Winter aconite), Colchicum autumnale (Autumn Crocus) or Crocus vernus.  These are also the only varieties allowed to be planted in Memorial Woodlands.

Always plant larger bulbs deeper to allow for support for the stems, smaller bulbs can be planted shallower as a rule of thumb.

When planting bulbs in pots, it is a good idea to use bulb fibre.  This contains charcoal, which stops the compost rotting and smelling and also provides good drainage.

For the keen cooks and budding chefs amongst you, try planting the autumn flowering Crocus sativus and grow your very own saffron – worth its weight in gold! Or maybe try a little lasagne planting.  Now we don’t sadly sell lasagne plants, but we do have bulb packs which hold three varieties to plant at three different depths, one on top of the other, very much like the layers of a lasagne.  These provide a beautiful show of flowers of differing heights, perfect for maximising space in tubs and planters!

Remember! Always plant your bulbs in well drained soil to stop them rotting over the winter.  You can add grit as you plant to improve drainage.

Finally, bulbs are not just for outdoors, they also make great Christmas presents.  Why not pot up some prepared hyacinths, paperwhites or Amaryllis, which will then flower around Christmas and early in the New Year.  We also have a range of hyacinth vases, which you simply half fill with water and then pop the hyacinth bulb on top.  It really couldn’t be easier!

We hope that you have a great autumn, putting in the groundwork for Spring!!