Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 98

gardening Island Life - October/November 2010 Tina trained as a professional gardener after leaving school and spent a summer working in Tuscany as an English Gardener. She has a National Diploma in Horticulture. Look ahead to Spring colour Tina Hughes If you have a question for Tina need some advice or even a suggestion for an article then please email: [email protected] The squirrels have been squirreling away their especially when they are dormant in the winter hoards for some weeks now, hiding summer. Generally you should plant spring stashes of nuts to carry them through the bulbs about three times deeper than the bulb barren months. This is a timely reminder for is high. Plant them as soon as possible, to me to stash my own hoards in the garden. get them off to a good start, exept tulips, Thankfully my survival is not dependent on which do better if you plant them in colder nut stores, but I will be carried through the November soils, when soil borne fungal short days and dark nights by the prospect diseases are less likely to affect them. of reaping the rewards for my efforts. Before long my bright treasure troves of bulbs will trumpet the arrival of spring. I am spoilt for choice in the garden centres. Whispering heaps of daffodil bulbs fat with promise, trim crocus and tulips ranging from a few centimetres high to bold, bouncing giants with flowers as big as coffee cups. The great thing about many varieties of bulb is that once they’re in the ground, you get to enjoy them from their cheerful displays for years to come. Bulbs of the most popular species are amazingly resilient, especially daffodils. However, it’s always worth taking time to prepare the ground, adding grit or a little compost to holes so that they have the best start possible. Select the right variety for the right location. Woodland bulbs, such as snowdrops, like dappled shade that never becomes too hot. Tulips flourish in full sun, 98 Visit our new website - www.visitislandlife.com