SPRING INTO ACTION THIS AUTUMN
W L
SPRING INTO ACTION THIS AUTUMN
BY PETER NICHOLSON , OWNER , GORDALE GARDEN CENTRE
Well , what can we say about the Summer of 2023 ? If you cast your mind back to June when it all started so beautifully everyone had their fingers crossed that the glorious sun would last all summer ! Sadly it wasn ’ t to be and the rain has been a persistent pest throughout the school holidays . For us gardeners that meant grabbing what time we could between the showers to keep our bedding plants dead headed and our lawns trimmed but it wasn ’ t easy !
Autum is a season of change – the children go back to school , the days get a bit shorter and the temperatures start to fall , but for the garden this change signals an important time . Firstly , there is the wonder of watching nature run its course to the plants you already have – colour changing leaves , berries appearing seemingly from nowhere and later flowering plants get their time to shine . Secondly it is a fantastic time to plant new plants in your garden – the soil temperature is still warm , the ground is softer so easy to plant and the weather is mild , all of which allows plants to get established before it gets too cold and wet . Thirdly it is an excellent time to prepare for the following spring by planning and planting spring flowering bulbs to give your garden ( and your spirits ) and early lift next year .
There ’ s not a lot going on in January & February in the garden but the first signs of a new gardening year come with the early appearance of snowdrops and crocus before tulips , hyacinths and daffodils take centre stage . The range of daffodils and tulips now is amazing and by planting a range of varieties in your garden you can have flowers all the way from early spring to early summer when the rest of the garden takes over . The best thing about bulbs is that you can plant them in lots of places – even your lawn as the earliest ones will be all finished before the first cut of the new year .
At Gordale we have been working with the same bulb suppliers for almost 40 years now – the Chelsea gold medal winning Taylors Bulbs from Spalding as well as our very good friends in The Netherlands whose family have been growing bulbs for over 100 years ! I ’ m proud that Gordale has one of the largest ranges of spring flowering bulbs in the North West and our expert team are always on hand to help you pick the right bulbs for your garden .
Here ’ s our top tips to help you achieve success in your garden next year :
Get 5 months of flowers ! Pick a range of bulbs to ensure you have something in flower for as long as possible - from the earliest daffodil narcissus ‘ January ’ which as the name suggests will show it ’ s first flowers in the first month of the year all the way through to the latest flowering tulips such as Angelique which doesn ’ t bloom until the beginning of May .
Plant secret surprises in your winter pots ! You might be about to re-do your summer pots with winter pansies or cyclamen to see you through the winter , so whilst you ’ re at it plant layers of spring flowering bulbs as well so that when the winter bedding finishes , your bulbs will be poking through the surface of the pots and give you an instant replacement . Remember to plant in layers depending on the bulb size – bigger bulbs need to be deeper and smaller bulbs can be planted shallower . Then finish with your winter bedding and have pots that will see you through until next year ’ s spring & summer bedding plants .
If you really can ’ t wait , get spring flowers NOW ! Autumn flowering crocus are just about to come into their own in the garden and are available until early October . We also have selected varieties of bulbs which have been ‘ prepared ’ for indoor flowering between now and Christmas – hyacinths and narcissus tête à tête are the most popular as well as the very festive amaryllis which can either be grown for Christmas flowering or given as a gift for flowering after Christmas .
There really is a bulb for everyone , in almost every colour you could wish for and we look forward to welcoming you to Gordale soon to make your selections for Spring 2024 .
Peter Nicholson
P . S . I know I ’ ve mentioned the C word , in Autumn ! But keep an eye in store at the transformations which are quietly taking place behind the scenes … change is afoot .
42 wirrallife . com