Narrow, grassy, rather lax foliage and erect, glossy stems which end with generous spikes of hanging flowers whose almost translucent white petals are lined with a pale green stripes. Thrives in a hot, dry spot on poor soil, but the flowers tend to be short-lived.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 45cm × 20cm (1ft 6in × 10in)

Companion plants: Useful as a ‘filler’ plant in dry Mediterranean style plantings among other bulbs such as Hermodactyla tuberosa, drought tolerant anemones and such species tulips as Tulipa batalinii.

Iris (Dutch hybrids)

Dutch Iris Bulb

Largely grown for the cut flower trade, but useful for dotting or bedding, these irises produce rigid, jointed stems, furnished with narrow, folded leaves and showy three-part flowers. The most widely grown are blue, as in the ‘Blue Magic’, but there are white forms such as ‘Madonna’. ‘Telstar’ has flowers in purplish blue.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining, not too dry

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: Up to 45cm × 20cm (1ft 6in × 8in)

Companion plants: Can be bedded with wallflowers, or to cool down displays of midseason or late daffodils. Also handy to line out with tulips for cutting.

Dwarf bulbs for winter and spring

Galanthus nivalis, G. elwesii

Snowdrops Hardy bulbs

Favourite indicator of winter’s end. Small, grassy leaves emerge in midwinter, soon joined by dazzling white blooms whose outer tepals cloak the greenish tipped inner parts. Noteworthy are G. nivalis in single or double form – easily the best for naturalizing – and G. elwesii, whose glaucous leaves are broader and whose flowers may appear earlier.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Shade or part shade

Season of interest: Winter

Height and spread: Up to 20cm × 10cm (8in × 4in)

Companion plants: Beautiful and welcome everywhere, but best in drifts, with hellebores and winter aconites, perhaps under winter blooming shrubs such as Cornus mas or Salix caprea.

Eranthis hyemalis

Winter Aconite Hardy tuber-bearing perennial

Short stems bearing small, buttercup yellow, muskily fragrant blooms appear a day or two after the winter solstice. Each flower is cradled in a pretty ruff of green foliage. The leaves die down by late spring. A much loved plant whose appearance is brief and stature tiny, but whose timing is perfect.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or shade

Season of interest: Winter

Height and spread: 10cm × 10cm (4in × 4in)

Companion plants: Beautiful in drifts with snowdrops, under trees or between shrubs. Plant potted specimens in growth.

Cyclamen coum

Hardy tuberous perennial

Kidney-shaped leaves, green or marbled in grey and green, begin to emerge in early winter. By midwinter, flowers shaped like squat ship’s propellers begin to open and are held just clear of the leaves by near-prostrate stems. Typical flower colour is rich carmine or cerise, but there are also pale pink and white forms.

Soil preference: Any, free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Winter

Height and spread: 10cm × 20cm (4in × 8in)

Companion plants: The foliage makes a pretty foil for snowdrops or aconites and the gem-like flowers sparkle among sombre blue winter irises. Also lovely in short grass.

Crocus imperati

Hardy, corm-bearing perennial

Narrow, grassy leaves appear in winter, soon accompanied by the frail crocus blossoms, which are biscuit beige on the outside, decorated with dark blackish purple veining. When the flowers open in sun, their insides are bright violet mauve. See also Crocuses.

Soil preference: Very free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Late winter, early spring

Height and spread: 10cm × 10cm (4in × 4in)

Companion plants: Precious to include in a crocus collection because of the early blooms. Also pretty with winter irises and Cyclamen coum.

Iris danfordiae, Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’

Hardy bulb

Leafless stems emerge in winter, carrying buds which open to bright golden yellow iris blooms. The narrow leaves extend as the flowers fade. Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ (pictured) is a hybrid with extraordinary colouring: veined dusky blue, yellow and white, with dark spots.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Late winter, early spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 10cm (6in × 4in)

Companion plants: Best in small specimen groups among other late winter flowers, or to bring interest to an Alpine collection to precede the main spring show, perhaps of saxifrages and dwarf narcissus.

Leucojum vernum

Spring snowflake Hardy bulb

Clump-forming bulb with dark green, lustrous strap-like leaves which emerge in late winter, just after the flower stems. These carry one, two or three flowers shaped like pleated bells or lanterns; pure white but with a faint green tinge along the tips. Stems and leaves extend after flowering.

Soil preference: Fertile, not too dry

Aspect: Part shade

Season of interest: Late winter, early spring

Height and spread: 20cm × 10cm (8in × 4in), spreading

Companion plants: Beautiful among tufts of lime green Hacquetia epipactis or below arching Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum) stems, both of which flower a little later.

Focus on…

Narcissus

Daffodils are among the most popular of hardy bulbs. Variable in habit, they range from miniature species and hybrids to tall cultivars with large flowers. Leaves may be strap-shaped or, in miniature species, somewhat grassy. The flowers consist of a trumpet- or cup-shaped corona surrounded by flat or reflexed petals known as perianth segments.

1. Narcissus ‘Jenny’

A pale-flowered cyclamineus hybrid with white, strongly reflexed petals and pale lemon trumpet which fades to cream as the flower ages.

2. Narcissus ‘Ice Follies’

A very large-flowered, commercial variety excellent for cutting but unnatural-looking for small scale wild planting. The pleated lemon cup and white petals, with strong and upright stem give this variety good standing power and, by Narcissus standards, a long life, whether cut or left to bloom outdoors.

3. Narcissus ‘Tête à Tête’

Universally popular, Narcissus ‘Tête à Tête’ is early, compact, easy to grow and dependable. The buttercup yellow blooms, which may come singly or in pairs on the stem, have neat petals and small cups contrasting well with the deep green foliage.

4. Narcissus ‘Topolino’

One of the earliest varieties to flower. The petals are creamy white, making a lovely contrast with the neatly shaped, flared trumpet. Reasonably quick to multiply, and reliable in good, rich soil, this is a valuable miniature daffodil.

5. Narcissus ‘Jetfire’

A vigorous and dependable cyclamineus hybrid with buttercup yellow petals, slightly swept back, and a trumpet which matures to rich orange red. Bulks up more quickly than many hybrids.

6. Narcissus ‘Rip van Winkle’

An oddity whose cultivation dates back several centuries. The petals are split or shredded, giving a dandelion-like impression. Short stems, vigorous and, if not beautiful, at least jolly in colour and appearance.

7. Narcissus bulbocodium

The elegant little ‘hoop petticoat’ narcissus grow wild on the Iberian peninsula. They prefer moist but free-draining soils and, where happy, will self-seed and naturalise readily. For Alpine style meadows, they are superb but will also flourish in gravel, or in a rock garden.

8. Narcissus obvallaris

The Tenby Daffodil, an early species with upright stems and golden flower which are remarkably weather resistant. Ultimate height is 25cm (10in), but the flowers open while the stems are still short.

9. Narcissus pseudonarcissus

The true wild daffodil, short in stature, but big in charm. The pale petals lie along the darker gold trumpet until the flower is fully mature. Best in moist grassland, and easier to establish in high rainfall.

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Bulbs: medium and tall for summer

Eremurus robustus

Desert Candle, Giant Foxtail Lily Bulbous perennial

R. Ditchfield

A beautiful monster with broad, fleshy roots arranged in a star or spider shape. Coarse, strap-like leaves grow almost 1m (3ft 3in) high before the thick, rigid flower spikes rear up. These are densely packed with fluffy pink flowers, whose tepals show greenish brown veining.

Soil preference: Free-draining, never wet

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 3m × 90cm (9ft 9in × 3ft)

Companion plants: An individualist but dramatic when included singly or in small groups among such dry-loving shrubs as Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa), Teucrium fruticans or against the white clouds of Crambe cordifolia.

Allium ‘Purple Giant’

Drumstick Allium Hardy bulb

Member of the onion family with green, glossy leaves which begin to wither before the bold flower spikes mature. These are topped with massed, deep purple blooms arranged in a drumstick formation. A free self-seeder, best sited where other foliage will help to disguise the withering leaves.

Soil preference: Fertile, but free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Early summer

Height and spread: 1m × 20cm (3ft × 8in)

Companion plants: Frequently used to furnish the base of a laburnum tunnel, where the purple and yellow flowers can contrast, but also beautiful naturalized with other drumstick alliums among tall grasses.

Dierama pulcherrimum

Angel’s Fishing Rod, Wand Flower Corm-bearing perennial

A South African native and strikingly beautiful in outline. Narrow, evergreen, sword-shaped leaves form a dense clump from among which graceful, arching wands develop. These divide into branches of wiry, nodding stems whose almost transparent, papery buds open to reveal bold reddish-purple flowers which hang like lanterns.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1.5m × 30cm (5ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Best when sited to create a focal point, perhaps in gravel, where it can set off sedges and grasses. Smaller species such as Dierama dracomontanum also make interesting companions.

Galtonia candicans

Summer Hyacinth Marginally hardy bulb

Bold, strap-like leaves surround a big, rigid stem whose top third, in summer, is furnished with bell-shaped waxy white flowers. These are held well away from the stem and hang downwards gracefully. Gently fragrant and a relatively free self-seeder.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1m × 30cm (3ft 3in × 1ft)

Companion plants: A good plant to distribute among old fashioned roses or to include with a cool colour scheme of anchusas, campanulas and Anaphalis.

Gladiolus hybrids

Tender, corm-bearing perennials

Large group of frost tender, corm-bearing plants derived mainly from South African species, with flat, ribbed, swords-haped leaves and tall spikes bearing showy, open-throated blooms with flared tepals in mainly vivid colours through purples, pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows to lime green and white. Many are bicolours. ‘Grandiflorus’ kinds have the largest blooms; ‘Primulinus’ have narrower leaves and hooded flowers and ‘Nanus’ types are dwarf.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 1m × 30cm (3ft 3in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Developed largely as competition blooms or cut flowers. Larger varieties are hard to place in mixed plantings; newer smaller kinds make attractive groups in a late summer border, among hybrid dahlias, perennial asters or taller phloxes.

Agapanthus (deciduous hybrids)

African Lily, Nile Lily Tender or marginally hardy bulb-bearing perennials

Deep green, shiny, strap-shaped leaves form dense clumps among which, in late summer, tall stems emerge, bearing at their tips short-stalked umbels of many six-petalled flowers in shades of blue or white. Varieties, whose leaves die right down in winter. Free-flowering kinds include the deep blue ‘Midnight Star’, ‘Jack’s Blue’, and ‘Loch Hope’ and ‘Bressingham White’.

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 1.2m × 75cm (4ft × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: Good in containers, or in mixed herbaceous plantings among such late summer flowers as phloxes and asters, or to contrast with hot-coloured daisies such as rudbeckias, heleniums or coreopsis.

Bulbs for autumn

Colchicum speciosum

Autumn Crocus, Naked Ladies, Naked Boys Hardy bulb

Crocus-shaped flowers emerge directly from the ground at the end of summer, disappearing completely after blooming. In spring, glossy foliage appears and forms a bold clump, with seed heads carried at the base of the leaf. Flower colours are typically lilac or mauve, with pale petal bases, but C. speciosum ‘Album’ has soft white flowers.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Late summer, early autumn

Height and spread: Flowers to 20cm (8in), foliage 45cm (1ft 6in)

Companion plants: One to site where the coarse spring leaves will not be troublesome. Lovely naturalized in grass or in a border with softly coloured late perennials including aster and Sedum spectabile and dainty flowered hardy fuchsias.

Amaryllis belladonna

Belladonna Lily, Jersey Lily Near hardy bulb

Thick stems emerge naked from the ground in early autumn rapidly extending until the plump buds at their ends have opened to reveal a cluster of large pink flowers with white centres. The strap-like leaves follow in spring and summer. Bulbs flower best when congested and when baked in summer sun.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun, very hot and dry

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 60cm × 15cm (2ft × 6in)

Companion plants: The flowers come as a delightful surprise, in autumn and are beautiful among Mediterranean shrubs such as French lavenders and silver, feathery artemisias.

Crocus speciosus

True Autumn Crocus Hardy corm-bearing perennial

Slender, wineglass-shaped flowers emerge, without foliage, in autumn, followed, in late winter, by the grassy leaves. The violet blue flowers are marked with darker pencil veining and have showy, orange stigmas. Slow to establish but superb in large numbers.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 12.5cm × 10cm (5in × 4in)

Companion plants: Not a showy plant, except when grown in bold drifts, preferably in short grass, or among autumn flowering cyclamen such as C. hederifolium or C. cilicium. See also Crocuses.

Cyclamen hederifolium

Sowbread Hardy tuberous perennial

Loaf-like tubers lie just beneath the surface of the ground. From them come masses of pink or white flowers, each with five petals swept right back to give the typical cyclamen shape. Some races are sweetly scented. From late autumn the flowers are joined by decoratively marbled leaves which persist through winter until the end of spring.

Soil preference: Any, but not wet

Aspect: Any

Season of interest: Autumn, winter, spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 30cm (6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: An essential part of any wild or woodland garden, going well both with autumn colchicums and with spring primroses and other bulbs. The leaves are lovely with Anemone blanda popping up among them.

Leucojum autumnale

Autumn Snowflake Hardy bulb

Thin, dusky green foliage emerges in winter, looking like dusty grass. In early autumn, the tiny, fragrant, pinktinged-white, nodding flowers are hard to see as individuals but are beautiful when grown in drifts. A native of Spain and North West Africa.

Soil preference: Dry

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 15cm × 10cm (6in × 4in)

Companion plants: Not spectacular, but charming if colonies are allowed to bulk up among such rock garden plants as alpine pinks, auriculas and Lithodora.

Nerine bowdenii

Guernsey Lily, Spider Lily Hardy bulb

A South African native which produces stems carrying umbels of brilliant pink flowers, whose petals are curled outwards and crisped or crinkled at their edges. The leaves follow in late winter and spring. Bulbs flower best when congested and when warmed by hot summer sun.

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