Watch head gardener Troy Scott Smith explain how to plant bulbs in lawns
Head gardener of Sissinghurst Castle Garden Troy Scott Smith explains how to plant bulbs from the orchard in October.
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Troy is planting in October, but he would plant certain bulbs in September. Here’s our guide on when to plant bulbs.
How to plant bulbs: Troy’s top tips
- It’s perfect if the ground is warm and moist.
- Using a bulb planter makes it so much easier to plant bulbs, but you can use a trowel or spade.
- The depth of planting should be around two and a half times the height of the bulb you are planting.
- Troy layers bulbs in the open ground as well as in pots.
- Pop a bed of grit in the bottom of your hole.
- Put soil on top of each of the bulbs as you layer them.
- Don’t worry too much about spacing. Catalogues will tell you to plant 10cm apart but I prefer a more natural look, scattering them and planting them where they fall. Tulips are strong and can grow through other plants without harming them.
- Don’t braid or remove the leaves or stems of tulips if you want them to naturalise.
Here’s more on planting bulbs in perennial borders