Creating a bulb lasagne this November

In order to attain an abundance of flowering plants next sprint, have a go at making  bulb lasagne this November.

This easy and effective technique utilises the different planting depths required by bulbs enabling you to grow a punch of colour in one small space.

This technique is fabulously easy and can be achieved in plant pots as well as in the garden, giving you greater scope to spread some colour throughout your outdoor space.

Here are some handy tips to help you create your own bulb lasagne…

Begin by layering the bottom of your pot with pottery shards (crocks) or pebbles to keep the drainage holes in the bottom of your plant pot from becoming clogged with compost. This allows any water to pass through easily without water-logging your planters. Choose a bulb fibre or multi-purpose compost and scatter a layer of this compost on top of the crocks.

Always plant the largest flowering bulbs first at the deepest layer, moving upwards in size to the smallest on the top. Typically, a bulb lasagne will have daffodils at the bottom, tulips in the middle and crocus at the top.

There’s no need to worry about the bulbs that are planted deep at the lowest level, they will grow and surface naturally moving around anything in their way.

When making your bulb lasagne, the bulbs will need to be planted a little further apart than you would if you were planting a single layer, approx 1.5 inches apart is about right and if you’re planting in pots, try to arrange your bulbs so that they don’t touch each other or the sides of the pot.

Follow the planting depth instructions on your packets of bulbs and add a 2 inch layer of compost after each bulb layer.

When making your bulb lasagne get creative and bold, you can make two or even three layers of bulbs if you wish and with a large choice of flowering plants to choose from you can have fun concocting your own ingredients. Here are some suggestions: Tulips, daffodils, lilies, hyacinths, snowdrops, crocus, scillas, anemones, iris etc, all of which we have in store.

Remember if you are planting in pots, drainage is key to prevent your bulbs from rotting and make sure you position your pots before filling them as they will become heavy and difficult to move once filled and watered.

Once you have planted your bulbs, water right away and regularly for the first few weeks whilst the roots are forming and make sure that the compost doesn’t dry out.

If you’re planting spring bulbs you may well need to protect and insulate your pots from severe cold conditions. The simplest way to do this is to wrap your pots in bubble wrap or plant fleece to protect them from frost and snow.

Whatever you decide to grow, we hope you have fun creating your bulb lasagne and enjoy the onset of colour from next spring.

 

Happy gardening everyone!