Traditional Craftsmanship for Modern Applications Bespoke design & build treehouses, playhouses and elevated platforms. Commercial & International commissions welcomed Garages, Outbuildings and Garden Rooms Quality Buildings at Competitive Prices Tel: 01403 262219 www.cheekymonkeytreehouses.co.uk chartwelloakbuildings.co.uk Call for a quote 01959 447477 Fils<strong>to</strong>n Farm, Fils<strong>to</strong>n Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5JU CheekyMonkeyS40.indd 1 25/01/2018 ChartwellOakBuildingsWT214.indd 15:42 1 06/11/2019 11:06 priceless-magazines.com 108 CurveGardenRoomsWT212.indd 1 02/09/2019 10:44
camassia Jo Arnell gets ahead of the bulb game with fuss-free picks for every part of the garden I had an aunt who, as soon as the longest day was over, would start talking about Christmas. “The nights are drawing in,” she would say before we’d even broken up for the summer holidays. It feels a bit like that talking about bulbs right now, as if I’m wishing the rest of the summer away and heading straight in<strong>to</strong> the squirrelling months of autumn. It seems weird <strong>to</strong> be preparing for next year already. But, just as the seed catalogues thud through the letter box in January, when it’s far <strong>to</strong>o cold and dark <strong>to</strong> sow seed, so the bulb books arrive in July, when preparing for a spring spectacular is far from our minds. I am not usually drawn in<strong>to</strong> placing early orders for bulbs, but this year, for varied reasons, there may be glitches in the supply, so it might pay <strong>to</strong> start thinking early. We tend <strong>to</strong> lump all the spring bulbs <strong>to</strong>gether, so that – in our minds – and in the garden centres, there is a happy throng of glorious colour that just needs <strong>to</strong> be planted in the ground in the autumn for a guaranteed show the following year. Most of the time this will work – in the first year at least. Bulbs are forgiving little packages of squashed up stem, leaf and flower, primed by their breeders <strong>to</strong> not need much more than a bit of a substrate and water <strong>to</strong> get them <strong>to</strong> grow and bloom. In fact many of the forced bulbs, like prepared Hyacinths and Paperwhites, will happily do so in a slim necked vase of water. It is magical <strong>to</strong> watch them grow roots and unfurl before our eyes, shooting up <strong>to</strong> bloom and cheer us in the darkest, shortest days. This is fine for a short term fix – they are treated like a cut flower that we grow ourselves – and then, if we remember, planted outside somewhere <strong>to</strong> flower again. If we want our outdoor show <strong>to</strong> be reliable and continue performing well, it helps <strong>to</strong> know that not all bulbs are the same. They are often from different environments, even from opposite parts of the world. If you are planting <strong>your</strong> bulbs directly in<strong>to</strong> the ground, rather than in pots and want them <strong>to</strong> thrive, then it’s worth thinking about the conditions they need. All bulbs have evolved <strong>to</strong> cope with situations that are tricky for part of the year. It is hard <strong>to</strong> hang on in there if there’s no rain, or if you are plunged in<strong>to</strong> shade for eight months of the year. These clever plants are able <strong>to</strong> make the most of early spring rains or the brief time when the trees have no leaves, by popping up and flowering in a rush. When the conditions change they are able <strong>to</strong> retreat back under the ground, put themselves in<strong>to</strong> s<strong>to</strong>rage and wait for their moment <strong>to</strong> return. The thing <strong>to</strong> remember is which type of impossible growing conditions they are trying <strong>to</strong> avoid – heat and drought, or extreme shade. yellow crocus fritillaries Extra images: is<strong>to</strong>ck.com/popovapho<strong>to</strong> / vicuschka / pho<strong>to</strong>danila Woodland bulbs have timed their flowering <strong>to</strong> coincide with the cycles in deciduous forests and woods. They will often be the earliest <strong>to</strong> flower, shooting in<strong>to</strong> growth before the dense canopy of leaves starts <strong>to</strong> grow over them and block out their light. They will prefer <strong>to</strong> grow in humus rich soil, in semi-shade and won’t mind the dampness of the winter. The woodlanders are also good at naturalising – spreading out in a carpet between the trees. Snowdrops, bluebells, dog’s <strong>to</strong>oth violets, and wood anemones are found in these situations. They do not like <strong>to</strong> dry out, which is why you often see them for sale ‘in the green’, so that they can be planted straight after they flower. Meadow dwellers, such as narcissi and crocus will happily naturalise in grassy areas. These will grow almost anywhere, but Snake’s Head Fritillaries and the later flowering Camassias appreciate a damp meadow, and won’t mind areas of cold wet clay. Bulbs from more arid places will rot in such conditions, which partly explains why tulips – originally from mountainous regions in Turkey and Iran where summers are hot and dry, find it hard <strong>to</strong> keep going. Tulips need a sunny and very free draining position and will not enjoy sitting through the winter with wet, soggy bot<strong>to</strong>ms (I’m with them there). 109 priceless-magazines.com
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