If you enjoy having (lots of) flowers in your garden, you can go all out with summer bulbs. These garden jewels are the crowning glory to the floral beauty of your green oasis.
A fantastic display of colour
Summer bulbs are summer-flowering bulbs or tubers that you plant in spring. They will bloom in summer and into early autumn. There is an incredibly varied range of unique flowers, in the most extraordinary shapes and sizes. They all have one thing in common: they look spectacular and, as such, are the finishing touch to your garden.
Selection
The best-known summer bulbs are lilies (Lilium), dahlias (Dahlia), arum lilies (Calla), sword lilies (Gladiolus), African lilies (Agapanthus) and begonias (Begonia). The lesser-known varieties, for example, Canna lily (Canna), spider lily (Hymenocallis) and tiger flower (Tigridia), are just as beautiful. Just choose whatever makes you happy, and what suits your garden.
Planting
You can simply plant summer bulbs grouped together, or solo in between established plantings. Check the packaging for spacing and heights. For example, lilies need less space than dahlias. Are you ready to start planting? Here are a few tips:
- Choose the right time. You can start planting summer bulbs in April, once the chance of frost has disappeared. Sometimes the frost lingers for longer. In that case, simply wait since summer bulbs can’t tolerate frost.
- Dig a planting hole that is twice as deep as the size of the bulb/tuber. Begonias and dahlias, however, are exceptions. These should be planted just below the surface because they need more warmth from the sun.
- Without pushing, gently position the summer bulbs in the soil.
- Cover your summer bulbs with the excavated soil. Give them plenty of water immediately after planting to help them form roots quickly.
- If it happens to be a dry spring, keep the soil in the garden moist.
