Now the evenings are drawing in, it’s time to starting planning for colour in the Spring, whether it’s for pots outside the front door or adding early colour to borders.  Bulbs are an easy choice, just plant them and forget about them over the winter and they will bring promise of warmer days to come when they start to flower.

September is ideal for planting Narcissus, Crocus and Alliums.  Our favourite Narcissus have to be the smaller flowering varieties such as ‘Thalia’ and ‘Tete-a-Tete’ or the highly scented varieties of ‘Avalanche’ and ‘Geranium’.  Why not start them in a pot this year right outside the door and then next autumn transfer them into the garden where they will increase over the years and get bigger and stronger.

Crocus come in a variety of different colours, from bright ‘Golden Yellow’ to the pure white of ‘Jeanne D’Arc’ and the vibrant purple of ‘Ruby Giant’.  They flower in late winter to early spring and can provide drifts of colour in lawns and beneath deciduous trees.

Alliums are best planted in the border, there are so many varieties on the market now from quirky varieties ‘Forelock’, ‘Mohican’ and ‘Hair’ (their names are very apt) to the more traditional ‘Purple Sensation’; one of the earlier flowering varieties it never fails to produce long lasting blooms which fade to statuesque seed heads.  Small and medium sized Alliums look best planted in drifts but some of the large varieties such as Globemaster and Purple Rain can be planted individually scattered through the border.