Spring has sprung and the weather is getting warmer. As the UK weather transitions to better days, this also means that our outdoor spaces will need a little bit of extra care.
As the UK welcomes warmer temperatures and brighter days, gardeners will need to pay more attention to their gardens – even if this means a bit more work. However, most gardening tasks don’t require too much effort, and the more that is done ahead of time, the less gardeners will have to worry about later on.
Spring is just around the corner. As our outdoor spaces recover from the freezing temperatures and the overgrown, patchy grass, many gardeners are now planning the next bulbs to plant to embrace the new season. Although gardening isn’t everyone’s favourite task, ensuring our outdoor spaces look neat and tidy is important.
As the new season approaches, we’re likely to spend more time outdoors, and there’s no better feeling than having a space to work, relax, and enjoy barbecues with friends and family. Monty Don, a beloved gardening expert and presenter of Gardeners’ World, has been sharing tips and tricks to ensure all gardens look their best. If you’re a garden lover, you’ll undoubtedly be looking forward to the appearance of your blooms – but there’s one important thing to note to ensure the grown back healthy in the upcoming seasons. He said: “Although you should resist any temptation to cut back, tie up or ‘tidy up’ the foliage of any bulbs that have finished flowering as this will decrease the quality of flowering next spring.”
“You can lift the bulbs, foliage, bulb and roots and pot them into a container which can then be put to one (sunny) side to die back and feed next year’s bulb without leaving an unsightly mass of dying foliage in a prime position for the next few months.”
Gardeners should avoid trimming or tidying the leaves of bulbs once they’ve finished blooming. Although the foliage may look unattractive, removing it can affect the plant’s ability to bloom beautifully next spring. Instead, lift and pot the bulb and foliage, allowing them to naturally die back in a less visible area. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) also recommends waiting around six weeks after the end of flowering before cutting back bulb plants. For example, if your bulbs bloomed in March or April, leave the foliage standing until June or July.
Some common bulb plants include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, gladioli, and alliums. Tulips are one of the most beloved spring flowers; they’re bright and have beautiful blooms in various colours. However, to enjoy their vibrant flowers year after year, proper care of the bulbs is essential – just like all plants and flowers. This simple tip will help gardeners ensure that their bulbs return stronger and more vibrant when spring arrives again next year.