If you want one stunning bloom to grow in your outside space this year, then expert gardener Monty Don has urged you to do one thing.
Whether you have a large garden, a small patio, or an apartment balcony – if you want to grow tulips in your garden this year then you need to heed this urgent warning from expert Monty Don. Tulips are a stunning addition to any outside space, and they come in such a wide range of shades and varieties that you can create an unforgettable spectacle by planting these bulbs – which do well in beds, pots, and planters.
When it comes to tulips, more is more, and the larger the number of bulbs you plant the better. Together, they will seriously create something special, and give your garden a much-needed boost of colour after the long winter, during which many plants go dormant. If you are still aching to enjoy some in your garden this year, but simply haven’t got around to planting any bulbs yet – it isn’t too late.
However, in just eight simple words, Monty explains that when it comes to your planting schedule if you want these stunning blooms to light up your outside space this year with their delicate petals and glorious shades of colour, “you really do need to get on with it”. Speed is of the essence here, and that is because tulips require the cold plunge given to them by the winter frosts to grow properly, and if you leave it much later than mid-January, there won’t be enough cold weather to get them going.
“It is not too late to plant tulips – but you really do need to get on with it,” the gardening expert and TV presenter explains on his website. “Tulips planted now might flower a little later than those planted in November but they will make a perfectly good display.
It’s also important to bear in mind that depending on what you want to achieve with your tulip display, you might need to adapt your planting approach.
“If intending to leave them in the ground plant as deeply as you can – at least 4 inches. But if you just want a good show this year they can be popped an inch or two in the topsoil and will be fine for this spring,” the expert explains.
“When planting in a container make sure that they have good drainage because although they are completely hardy to cold, the biggest enemy is rotting in damp soil. But this is a job to do by the middle of the month at the latest.”
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