How To Naturalise Bulbs

How To Naturalise Bulbs

Now is the time to think about buying spring flowering bulbs. Why? Firstly, autumn is the ideal time to plant spring flowering bulbs. Secondly, because we have just received this year’s supply, therefore widest choice is available now. In other words, if you are after a particular shade of pink tulip or a specific variety of daffodil now is the time to find it. And thirdly, there will be fewer bulbs available this year because the bulb harvest has been hit by this year’s torrential rainfall – yet demand for bulbs remains high.

In this blog we will look at bulbs that are suitable for naturalising. That is to say bulbs that will thrive when planted in grass, in borders, and under trees, lending a more natural feel.

When buying bulbs, we need to think about where and how they will be used in the garden. Remember, naturalising isn’t the only thing we can do with bulbs.

Bulb can also be grown in pots and containers, or even forced for early flowering indoors.

To learn about growing bulbs in containers visit our blog:

https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/blog/spring-awakening-bulbs-in-containers/

For information on growing bulbs indoors see our blog:

https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/blog/bulbs-in-the-home/

Why Naturalise Bulbs?

Naturalising bulbs is an easy way to brighten up lawns, grass verges, wildflower meadows, and ground under trees and shrubs. Naturalising bulbs is a good way to cheer up problem areas such as steep banks and rough grass and attract more wildlife, bees and birds, into your garden

One of the great events of the gardening year is when you first see hundreds of crocuses unfurl their shimmering petals to bask in the sun’s first warm rays. Not only do sheets of bulbs look great, but they also provide much needed pollen and nectar for early pollinators such as bumblebees.

Naturalising, or planting bulbs in clumps and drifts, is a good way to create colour and interest in the spring garden. The bulbs, once planted, should be left to flower and self-seed and increase naturally.

What Bulbs Can I Naturalise And Where Should I Plant Them?

1) Woodland Areas.

Some bulbs do best in woodland gardens. But you don’t need to have acres of land to create a woodland setting or naturalising bulbs. If you have a deciduous tree, such as an apple tree, or deciduous shrubs, then their bare branches in late autumn through to spring will allow enough light and water through to allow spring bulbs to grow. Most spring bulbs will thrive in these conditions.

Expert Tip: ferns, primulas, lungwort (Pulmonaria), special forms of celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) and hellebores naturalise well with spring bulbs in dappled-shade conditions – creating beautiful planting combinations.

Bulbs Suitable For Naturalising In Woodland-like Locations:

Anemone, Arum, Chionodoxa, Crocus, Cyclamen, Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite), Erythronium, Galanthus (snowdrop), Hyacinthoides, Leucojum (snowflake), Muscari, Narcissus, Nectaroscordum, and Scilla.

Anemone nemorosa, the wood anemone, with its graceful, nodding flowers does well growing under deciduous shrubs. The wood anemone grows from an underground storage organ known as rhizome. You will find full planting instructions for anemones on the packet.  Blue, pink or white Anemone blanda is another easy to naturalise form.

Anemone blanda ‘blue’ is the Bulb of the Year 2021, and available as a packet of 60 for £6.99.

Arums grow from tubers. Their ‘flowers’ are actually complex inflorescences not just of petals but a spathe and spadix.  Arums thrive in woodland. Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ is grown for its attractive, marbled leaves. The silver-patterned leaves appear in autumn and remain until spring when the lime-green flowers appear. The flowers are followed by attractive (but poisonous) bright red berries in autumn.

Chionodoxa (glory of the snow). A good bulb for naturalising. ‘Glory of the snow’, as the popular name suggests, is an early bloomer. It can be naturalised in light shade or in grass. Chionodoxa produces loose sprays of delicate star-like flowers. The blooms are long lasting. Chionodoxa is typically blue, but white or pink varieties are available.

We have packs of 20 Chionodoxa luciliae at £2.99. They are good for naturalising in a lawn or woodlands.

Crocus tommasinianus is an early flowering crocus that self-sows freely. This delightful spring bulb will quickly establish itself under the stems of a hydrangea or a rose bush. We have packs of 15 Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’ available at £2.99.

Dutch crocuses with their goblets of colour are easy to naturalise and will flower year-on-year. We have packs of 20 large-flowered crocus bulbs (mixed selections include purple, white, striped and yellow forms) available at £5.99.

Cyclamen. Autumn and Spring flowering cyclamens, which grow from corms (fat underground stems) are perfect for naturalising around deciduous trees and shrubs.

Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite) these early flowerers are another excellent addition  to plant around the base of shrubs. We have packets of 6 winter aconites available at £2.99.

Expert tip: soak winter aconite corms in water for at least 3 hours prior to planting them.

Erythronium (dog’s tooth violet). This spectacular plant is suited to the woodland garden as it thrives in partial shade. Although they look exotic, they are easy to grow as long as you keep an eye out for slugs and snails. The best species for naturalising is Erythronium ‘Pagoda’. This flowers in early spring, and the recurved petals give the butter-yellow flowers an oriental feel.

Expert tip: Pagoda lily bulbs should never be allowed to dry out. Plant in humus -rich soil as soon as you buy them. Leave the clumps undisturbed if you want them to multiply.

Galanthus (snowdrop). E. A. Bowles, the great early twentieth-century plantsman and garden writer boasted about having snowdrops in bloom in his Enfield garden from October until March. However, the main flowering time for snowdrops is January to March. Snowdrops have many beautiful species and cultivars their flowers differentiated in shape and by myriads of subtle different markings mostly in green and yellow  G. nivalis (the common snowdrop) and G. elwesii with its broader leaves and flowers are the most popular garden species.

To learn more about snowdrops visit:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/7568/Galanthus-nivalis/Details

Hyacinthoides non-scripta (bluebell). Bluebells will happily grow in any soil that isn’t too wet. Bluebells are the archetypal woodland flower. H. non-scripta is the native British bluebell. Its sky-blue flowers all hang on the same side of the stem.

Leucojum vernum (spring snowflake).  This is a relative of the snowdrop, but the plants are much larger, and the flowers are bell-shaped. Snowflakes should be planted in damp areas of the garden. The spring snowflake does best in moist, humus-rich woodland soil.

Muscari (grape hyacinth) thrive in dry, sunny spots. Although they are often grown in containers, they can also be naturalised in rough grass where you arrange  them to mimic a blue stream running through your garden with their lovely blue flowers although but  be aware that white, purple and yellow varieties may also be found. Muscari typically flower from late March through to May. To encourage Muscari to flower it is best to lift and divide the clumps every few years.

Packs of the turquoise flowered Muscari azureum are available at £2.99 for 15 bulbs.

Narcissus (daffodil). For most London gardens the smaller daffodils and narcissi such as ‘Hawera’, ‘February Silver’ and ‘Tête-à-tête’ are more suitable for naturalising because of their scale and sturdiness against rough weather. The wild daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus is later flowering, and suitable for naturalising in grass, light shade, and open woodland.

We have packs of 5 Narcissus ‘Thalia’ , – this is the best white daffodil by far! available at £2.99. Thalia is a highly fragrant white, multi-headed variety that is more tolerant of shade and damp than many daffodils. Its flowers are weather resistant standing up against spring rain and wind.

The gardening grandiloquent say that we should only plant white and lighter yellow, lemon flowered daffodils but we say each to their own, so go plant the deep yellows to your heart’s content.

Nectaroscordum. If you have a shady, or semi-shady spot in your garden and want a tall and dramatic flower then Nectaroscordum siculum (also called Allium nectaroscordum), the Sicilian honey garlic is the bulb for you.  The bulbs produce a tall flower shoot in spring that unwraps to reveal an umbrella of large, pendulous, creamy flowers that are flushed with mauve-green. The flower heads go on to produce shuttlecock like seed-heads that provide added interest to the garden.

We have packs of 9 Nectaroscordum for £2.99.

Scilla (also known as squill) naturalises readily in the garden. The small bulbs produce clusters of blue or white star-shaped flowers.

2) Bulbs For Naturalising In Grass.

When planting bulbs in a lawn select an area of the lawn that doesn’t receive much foot fall – it won’t do your bulbs any good if you are constantly walking over where they are planted. Ideally plant them in an area of the lawn that less frequently cut, such as your wildlife area.

Many of the woodland garden bulbs will also do well planted in the lawn. These include: Chionodoxa, Crocus, Erythronium, Galanthus, Hyacinthoides, Leucojum (snowflake), Narcissus and Nectaroscordum.

Some other bulbs for planting in grassland include: Camassia, Fritillaria for wet ground and Ornithogalum for dry ground

Camassia (quamash). This beautiful bulb is suitable for naturalising in moist lawns. They are tall growing plants, with lots of long leaves.  Camassias usually produce spikes of blue flowers, although some white varieties are available. I particularly recommend C. scilloides for naturalising as it self-seeds freely, maybe for others too freely !

We offer packets of 3 Camassia leichtlinii caerulea (blue) and Camassia leichtlinii alba (white) both at £3.99.

Fritillaria meleagris (snake’s head fritillary). A delicate and beautiful flower – and surely a must for any Slytherin! They can take a really damp position but beware deer love eating the flowers Its thin stems hold one or two pendant bell-like flowers. The usual form has chequer-board patterning, and an all-white variety is often included in mixes.

Expert tip: Snake’s head fritillaries take a while to settle in. They flower better in subsequent years.

Ornithogalum thyrsoides (star of Bethlehem). These bulbs produce erect spikes of white star-like flowers. This hardy species of Ornithogalum can be naturalised in grassland. It is best suited to a sunny spot.

How To Succeed With Bulbs In Your Lawn.

For best results select early flowering varieties that won’t prevent you from mowing the lawn in summer. All bulbs should be allowed to die back naturally after they have flowered, giving the leaves enough time to build up the bulbs for flowering next year. It is recommended that you leave any grass that has bulbs planted in it uncut for at least six weeks after the bulbs have finished flowering.

For types that spread by self-seeding you need to look out for the flower heads and leave them to ripen and disperse their contents before the first cut of the year.

Tulips can also be introduced into the spring garden. However, the larger flowered tulips are less likely to naturalise successfully. Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf, two of the stars of contemporary garden design say that large goblet-shaped tulips do not belong in a natural garden.

If you want to naturalise tulips in your garden then I would look to the smaller species tulips. Tulips will do best in a dry, sunny position. We offer packs of 10 Tulipa bakeri lilac wonder at £2.99. This late flowering tulip is ideal for naturalising in sunny areas under shrubs.

Larger flowering daffodils can be grown in rough grass. However, the larger taller varieties tend to end up flattened to the ground after the first shower of rain.

How Do You Plant Bulbs In Grass?

Planting bulbs in lawn is fun, and it is easy. As Gertrude Jekyll, the great garden designer, horticulturalist and writer, observed: “Nothing seems to me more unsatisfactory than the usual way of having… [bulbs] scattered about in small patches in the edge of flower borders where they only show as little disconnected dabs of colour.”

First choose your bulbs. Look out for the varities mentioned here, but also check the information panels on the packets in store for varieties recommended as ‘suitable for naturalising’.

By selecting bulbs that flower at different times you can ensure a longer period of flowering over spring from February to May.

Be bold! Use plenty of bulbs to make a stunning display. As Oscar Wilde’s observed, ‘nothing succeeds like excess’.

The classic way to ensure a natural look is to throw handfuls of bulbs on to the lawn and plant them exactly where they fall. Don’t be tempted to move them to ‘tidy up’ the pattern because you will just make it look artificial. An extra twist to method this is turn around and throw the bulbs backwards over your shoulder so that you are unable to influence how they fall.

You can use either a hand trowel or a bulb planter to plant them in the lawn at a depth of around two to three times the height of the bulb.

To learn more about how to plant bulbs in the lawn, including the technique of ‘lawn lifting’, visit:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/how-to-plant-bulbs-in-grass

Expert tip: Don’t use a lawn feed/weedkiller on lawns that have been planted with bulbs.

In Conclusion:

Choose the right bulb for the right location in your garden. Some bulbs will do better in shade, and others are more suited for growing in full sunshine.

The bulb packets will give you all the information you need to successfully grow them. Look out for bulbs marked ‘suitable for naturalising’.

Scatter your bulbs randomly to make your plantings feel natural. No grids or straight lines please!

Allow the bulbs to put out their leaves and then die-back naturally after flowering to build up the bulbs.

So, why not visit us and get your bulbs now for a spectacular floral display next spring?