Flower bulbs — plant in autumn for spring blooms

Flower bulbs are the promise of spring that you plant in autumn. Buried before winter, they lie dormant through the cold season and burst into colour with the first fine days, just when the garden needs life most. Daffodils, tulips, allium, grape hyacinths, crocuses or hyacinths: easy, hardy and generous, they come back faithfully every year and suit the ground as well as pots and planters.

The essentials: daffodils and tulips

The two stars of spring. Daffodils and narcissi open the season from February with their yellow, white or bicolour trumpets, followed by tulips (Darwin hybrids, double peony-flowered, Triumph, botanical) which take over in April in an endless palette of colours. Together they guarantee several weeks of staggered flowering.

Mood bulbs: grape hyacinths, crocuses and hyacinths

To carpet the ground and scent the air. Crocuses are among the very first to emerge, sometimes through snow. Grape hyacinths form striking blue or white drifts at the foot of trees or along edges. Hyacinths bring their heady scent and dense spikes, as lovely in beds as in a balcony planter. These small bulbs pair beautifully with the larger spring flowering plants.

Architectural bulbs: allium

Allium (ornamental onion) brings height and graphic structure with its large flower globes perched on tall stems, from the giant 'Gladiator' to the compact 'Ping Pong'. Violet, purple or white, they structure a bed like living sculptures and last a long time, even dried. Their late flowering extends the bulb season into early summer.

Small naturalising bulbs

For a natural garden that fills out on its own. Snowdrops (Galanthus), squills, Anemone blanda and fritillaries naturalise over the years and come back in ever greater numbers. Planted in a lawn, under trees or at the foot of a hedge, they create spontaneous flowering carpets that herald the end of winter. Hardy, they are among the earliest cold- and frost-hardy plants.

When and how to plant bulbs

The golden rule: spring-flowering bulbs are planted in autumn, from September to December, before hard frosts. Bury each bulb at a depth of about three times its height, tip pointing up, in well-drained soil: excess water is their main enemy. Space them according to size and let the foliage yellow naturally after flowering: this is what recharges the bulb for the following year. Once established, most need no care and return every spring.

In the garden, in pots and on the balcony

Bulbs suit every space. In the ground, they naturalise a lawn or fill a bed. In pots and planters, they brighten a balcony or a windowsill: layer several varieties at different depths (the bulb lasagne technique) for continuous blooms. Combine heights and flowering times for a show that lasts for weeks. Bulbs are the perfect allies for setting up a balcony or creating flowering balconies and terraces from the end of winter, alongside other hardy outdoor plants.