Daffodil bulbs come in many beautiful varieties, brightening up gardens in the UK throughout the spring months. With such a range of daffodils, you can choose from different shapes, colours and appearances to get creative with your gardening. If well planted and looked after, you can count on your daffodils to bloom beautifully for many years to come.

There are some important points to consider when making sure you look after your daffodils properly, and give them the best start in life by planting them correctly. As long as you follow the pointers given here, you can count on your daffodils to brighten up your outdoor space and offer you a ray of sunshine each springtime.

Planting and growing daffodils – some top tips for success

Here is a brief guide to planting and growing daffodils to get the best results from them:

1. Pick quality bulbs. First and foremost, the bulbs need to be high quality, without any dampness or rot on them. They must come from a good nursery – the best way to make sure you get bulbs of the right quality is to buy them from a well-known online store. If you do end up with bulbs that are damaged or aren’t of the expected quality, you can often rectify this with the retailer. They can send you out some new daffodil bulbs in this instance.
2. Plant the bulbs in the right way, at the right time of year. They will usually need to be planted in September-November, so that they can grow and bloom in spring. You will usually begin to see small green shoots appearing in the early spring months. Make sure you plant the bulbs in well draining soil, at a depth of around 4-6 inches. You will also need to make sure they’re around 4-8 inches apart so they can grow healthy and strong without competing for light and space.
3. Choose the right spot. As previously mentioned, daffodils will only thrive if the soil is well draining and will provide them the right nutrients. Like narcissi, daffodils are often grown in borders and flowerbeds, and they can be easily naturalised in other spots too if left undisturbed. They might also do well in a pot or container if there is the right amount of light for them. If you want to make soil structure and drainage better, you can use organic matter to help.
4. When the bulbs have been planted, you should water the soil well to bed them down. This is particularly important if the weather has been dry and there is no rain forecast. This also gets rid of air pockets. Be careful to keep the soil moist, especially in containers where it can dry out faster.

It’s as simple as that. You will be able to grow daffodils again each year, especially if you continue to look after the soil, use fertiliser and mulch. Once flowers have died, it is usually best to deadhead them so energy isn’t wasted and the flowers can grow healthily again in future.

Hyacinths are beautiful spring flowers that come in a variety of vibrant colours. The different types of hyacinth you can get are generally very similar except for the colour, so you can pick the one you like the most. You should plant hyacinth bulbs in autumn or late summer if you’re growing them in borders out of doors, but many people choose to grow them indoors as a Christmas flower. If so, the bulbs should be properly prepared and planted earlier.

Hyacinths will need plenty of sunshine to grow strong and healthy. People often choose to grow them in containers, close to where people will be – they have a strong, distinctive and very pleasant smell. They can also tolerate some shade but this could compromise the quality of flowers in future years. Keep soil moist while hyacinths are growing and are in flower, and cut the watering down once they are dying off at the end of the season.

Asters are a type of perennial that look a little bit like a daisy, with pretty star-shaped flowers and a delicate purple colour to their blooms. They are a good flower to grow at this time of the year because the flowers will start to come out when all of the others in the garden are dying, bringing some last-minute colour at the tail-end of the year.

As perennials, you can plant asters in a range of places, including borders, rockeries and wildflower lawns. They don’t need too much sun and will prefer to grow in a cooler climate, so it’s best that they are given some shade and aren’t grown too early on in the year. When the foliage dies in the winter months, you should cut asters back if you want them to continue growing well. They can be left until the flowers have died as they’ll keep blooming long after other flowers.

Landscaping a whole garden isn’t an easy task – it will take planning, consideration and lots of specialist thought going into the project. You will often need to hire a landscape gardener to help with the process, as they will be able to put your visions into realistic designs that meet all your requirements. If you know the kinds of things you want, you can consult with them, and if not, they will be able to talk to you about what you want your garden space to be like and create something beautiful and unique.

Have you considered using garden sleepers to complete your project? It’s possible to use sleepers in all aspects of the design and landscaping, meaning you need fewer resources – and you might just be able to plan it out yourself as well. You can easily buy treated and untreated sleepers of all sizes online, meeting the needs of every garden design project. This is a good idea if you already know approximately what you would like, how you want your garden to look, and you fancy a DIY project to keep the costs down. You might just be surprised at quite how versatile garden sleepers can be.

These are some of the ways in which you could use railway sleepers in your next gardening project:

• To construct table and chair sets. You might use railway sleepers to build tables and chairs – they will probably be a robust, chunky design that will look more rustic in appearance. Tables might be better as lower serving tables than dining tables due to the size and shape of sleepers.
• Benches. You can get more creative here – build a bench around a tree, around the outside of a flower bed, or build a more traditional bench. Sleepers will offer you the perfect opportunity to build the perfect bench design, that will be comfortable and practical as well as very sturdy and able to withstand harsh weather conditions.
• Edging. If you have borders that need edging, sleepers can be your perfect option. They can be laid along the edges of your flower beds to provide a border, helping to keep everything neat and tidy. This is perfect in larger gardens where you have delineated flower bed areas mixed in with grassy areas, in amongst patios and seating areas. Sleepers help you landscape effectively.
• Raised beds. Sleepers can work very well in smaller gardens and courtyards too. You can use them to build up raised flower beds, which can be perfect for growing vegetables, as well as your usual bedding and border plants and flowers. You will need to dig a trench and use concrete to lay the foundation sleepers, and then build them up to create a larger flower bed. This can be perfect for any location.

You can choose sleepers in different finishes, in both hardwood and softwood depending on what you personally prefer. Choose to get your sleepers from a trustworthy source in order to make sure they can be cut to the correct length and size for you.

It’s always nice to have a mature, fully grown garden with plenty of vegetation, plants and flowers. Trees will add to the aesthetic perfectly, but they can also cause some problems if not carefully managed.

Firstly, you should choose the type of tree you are going to grow. An oak tree won’t be suitable for all types of garden, especially not if small or already quite shaded. Something like a cherry blossom tree would work much better in a smaller space. You can also choose to grow bay trees in pots if you don’t want the trees to grow as big and want to keep them out of the way of the main garden.

Do be aware that tree roots can cause issues if not grown far enough away from the house. Branches might also cause problems, and you will need to get a tree surgeon to encourage trees to grow as you want them to.

Dahlias are easy to grow and come in such a diverse variety of colours, almost unmatched by any other kind of flower. This has made them a highly popular flower to grow, blossoming in gardens during the warm summer months, with their radiant colours glowing. From delicate whites to vibrant pinks and purples, dahlias can certainly add some interest to your garden. You might also choose to cut them and add them to bouquets, giving you another reason to grow them.

As dahlias are easy to grow and look after, you can grow them from bulb without having to put in too much effort. Planting the bulbs at the right time of the year and giving them a little bit of attention every now and again is all you will really need to do. It’s easy to find dahlia bulbs and to grow them into beautiful garden flowers. You just need to make sure you buy high quality bulbs, and plant them at the right point in the season to help them grow into strong, healthy flowers.

A guide to planting your dahlias

Dahlias need to be planted at the right time of year for the bulbs to grow. If you do this, the success rate for growing dahlia tubers is very high. Here is a brief planting guide for new dahlia bulbs:

• Plant the dahlia bulbs around spring time. There shouldn’t be any danger of frost when you plant, otherwise your bulbs could get damaged. Usually, May to early June is a good planting time. Plant them deep enough in the soil for them to be warm, about 10cm.
• Make sure the soil where you plant the dahlia bulbs is of a high enough quality. It should be fertile and well draining if possible. Incorporate plenty of organic matter into the soil and use a fertiliser as well.
• Choose the location carefully. Dahlias need enough space to grow, so plant them around 45cm apart at least. They will thrive in a warm, sunny spot.

If you follow these instructions, your dahlia bulbs should begin to grow strong and healthy.

Caring for dahlias once they begin to grow

Once your dahlias start to grow shoots, pinch these out. This will help you to have healthy, bushy dahlias. When the flowers begin to grow, you should use a high potash liquid feed every couple of weeks. Make sure the soil is kept well watered too.

Dahlias are very low maintenance and if you live in a mild enough region, you can leave them in the ground over the winter. However, if it is colder and you live in the north, it might be advisable to lift and store tubers over the winter.

Your dahlias will continue to grow strong and healthy when you follow these tips, and you can enjoy their colourful blooms for years to come. As they grow bigger, you may want to use canes to support their growth. If you are growing giant dahlias, try to make sure each plant doesn’t have more than 3-5 flowering stems, to create the best possible shape.

We all remember having spider plants as children, don’t we? Those funny little plants, that will grow baby spider plants when they are happy. Many of us used to keep them on top of bookcases or shelves, as the leaves would grow down and create a lovely green image.

Many people are starting to grow spider plants again, largely because they are so very easy to grow and won’t require a lot of care of attention. All they will need is some daylight, and they won’t even need too much of that, as you should keep them in good but indirect sunlight. You will need to water them every so often, but don’t over-water them.

Spider plants can be prone to tip burns, which is where the ends of the leaves turn brown and dry. If this happens, it is best to remove the tips. Make sure the soil isn’t too dry, as this can often be a cause of tip burn.

The hyacinth is one of the most distinctive of flowers grown in Britain, with its classic purple and pink blooms. There are different varieties of hyacinths you can grow, so you can select the colours and appearance you would like for your garden or, indeed, your home. They are a rewarding flower to grow and many gardeners, amateur or advanced, enjoy the hyacinth throughout the spring months.

You can often buy hyacinths in pots, ready to place in your home with little to no effort on your part. Yet growing hyacinth bulbs can be on of the greatest pleasures of having these flowers, seeing them bloom and come alive after you have looked after them from the moment they are placed in the ground. It’s not at all difficult to grow hyacinth bulbs, and you will enjoy watching them appear.

When to grow hyacinth bulbs? 

Hyacinth bulbs will naturally flower in the spring time, around March or April as it is just beginning to get warmer. However, one of the great things about hyacinths is that they can be made to flower sooner if you keep them indoors in the warm. Many people will grow hyacinths especially for Christmas.

Types of hyacinth bulb

These are the most popular types of bulb you can buy:

• Top size hyacinths. The distinctive dark flowers of these hyacinths really make them stand out. They are large as well, with flowers reaching a size of 18-19cm.
• Garden hyacinth. This is a cultivar of the hyacinthus orientalis, and they have much lighter, dusky pink flowers. They are often planted in borders or in pots.
• Multiflora hyacinth. These hyacinths grow in individual stems that produce delicate bells. Unlike other kinds of hyacinth, they don’t need too much heat.

How to look after your hyacinth bulbs 

You must look after your delicate bulbs from the moment you obtain them, to make sure they remain in good condition and will grow into strong, healthy flowers for you. They are very hardy once flowered, though they may not be quite as strong when grown in containers and could potentially be damaged by frost. You should check all bulbs before planting, getting rid of any that are soft and could spread disease to other plants. Once flowering. look out for slugs and squirrels, or other animals that might dig up your hyacinths. To keep your hyacinths in good condition, remove flowers that start to grow brown. However, you can leave the leaves to die off.

A guide to growing your bulbs

Bulbs are best planted out of doors in the early autumn, though you can plant them sooner if you want to force them to flower earlier indoors. You will need to make sure they are planted around 4 inches deep in the soil.

Your hyacinths are going to grow best if they have soil that is well draining, however the main thing to bear in mind is to give them enough sunlight. They will do well in direct sunlight, so make sure they will get plenty of it throughout the day.