A Spring Bulb Lasagne

If you have seen the large planter outside the Rural View office in Tisbury, you have probably worked out that I am potty about pots. I love experimenting and mixing seasonal combinations together to create lots of impact in a small space. As gardeners, we need to be thinking two seasons ahead to make sure that we have flowers ready to put on a great show. Also, a little forward planning will save a lot of money; buying bulbs in flower next Spring, for instance, is much more expensive than a few packets sown.

Now is the perfect time to plant up some containers with bulbs for next spring. There are lots of ways you can do this; if you have lots of pots then you can plant one variety in each and keep interchanging them as they bloom and go over, or if you fancy a bit of a mix and have a larger pot or trough you can try a bulb lasagne and get several months’ worth of flowers out of one planting.

This might sound a bit confusing so let me give you a delicious recipe:

Ingredients:

1 large container, a bag of general-purpose compost, 3 varieties of bulbs. Check the labels, as you will need ones which flower in early, mid and late spring.

Just like cakes, the key to success is a good container. You will need something which is a least 30cm deep and has large drainage holes. You can add a layer of gravel at the bottom to help with drainage but a general-purpose compost should be fine.

First add a 5cm layer of compost in the bottom of the pot and then put in your largest bulbs. These will be the last to flower, so could be Late spring flowering Narcissi, Tulips or Alliums. Place the bulbs close together but make sure they aren’t touching each other or the side of the pot.

Next add another 5cm of soil so that the first layer of bulbs are snuggly covered. Now it’s time for the middle tier of the lasagne, which could be earlier flowering tulips or narcissi, or perhaps try some beautifully scented hyacinths.

Again, cover with soil to make a flat surface for the last layer of bulbs; these are the smallest bulbs and the ones to flower first, so choose crocus, small early narcissi or Muscari (grape hyacinths). Finish the lasagne with a final layer of potting compost and then water. Bulbs generally need to be planted 2½ to 3 times their depth, so make sure this last layer is a good 5-6cm deep.

There are so many combinations to try it really is down to personal choice of colour and flowers, so it’s a great opportunity to get inventive and have some fun!

Here are some more top tips to help create a great display:

Remember to plant the bulbs the right way up with the pointy bit at the top.

Even with meticulous planning between the layers, the British weather can stall or speed up growing times, so make sure your choice of flowers complement each other and then if they are flowering at the same time they will look gorgeous.