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Gardener’s Calendar

The best months to sow, plant out and harvest popular UK plants. Based on average conditions — adjust for your local microclimate.

UK Bulb Planting Calendar

Bulbs are perhaps the easiest flowers to plant. Each bulb contains a flower. Planting a bulb is as easy as shoving it into the ground. However, there is a proper time for planting each bulb, which makes them a tricky flower for a beginner gardener. To make matters worse, bulb catalogs do not make it obvious when different bulbs should be planted. For example, daffodils and tulips should be planted two months apart. And dahlias should wait until after the last frost before going into the ground.

A method to help remember when to plant different bulbs is to separate the bulbs into two categories. Some bulbs must be planted in autumn, while the others must wait until spring. Autumn planted bulbs are daffodils, tulips, crocuses and alliums. These bulbs are hardy and can make it through the winter. Bulbs that should be planted in spring are dahlias, gladioli, begonias, and most lilies. These flowers bloom in warmer months and should be planted in spring after the freezing winter weather has faded. Bulbs each have a harvesting season. For the best bulbs, buy in the season before planting. Bulbs can sell out the best varieties. Store bulbs in a cool, dry and dark place while waiting to be planted.

January and February

There’s little we can do outside during the dead of winter. However, if you missed planting tulips before the holiday season, you can still plant them in January. They will bloom, even if a bit late. It’s a better option than letting the bulbs rot. Stored Dahlia tubers are susceptible to rot and should be checked every month. Midwinter is the perfect time to buy Summer bulbs before they sell out. Snowdrops are best handled in the green and are best moved or bought shortly after blooming. Snowdrop bulbs are poor at establishing when dry.

March

It is now time to do the majority of our planting. Lily bulbs can be planted directly into the soil or into pots and planted 15 cm deep. It’s a good idea to place some grit at the bottom of the pot, especially if the soil is heavy. Gladioli corms begin to plant late March, but should be planted every 2 weeks to maximize their blooming time throughout the Summer. Dahlia Tubers should now be taken out of storage, and if they are stored in pots, should be brought out and placed into a warm, covered location. Tubers should be divided to give a greater yield, especially since the eyes should be starting to swell.

April

This is the prime month for planting summer bulbs. Continue with the succession planting of gladioli. Plant anemones and ranunculus, and begonias are to be started in trays covered with plastic, with the hollow side facing up. Spring bulbs are in full flower and should only need deadheading. Deadhead the daffodils and leave the foliage for next year, do not touch the foliage.

May

Tender annuals should be planted after the last frost, and for most of the country, that means the end of May. This mainly includes dahlias and begonias which should be planted in rich, sunny soil and accompanied with stakes. Spring bulbs should have their foliage left alone, and while it may look unsightly, it is critical for next years blossoms.

June, July and August

These months should be devoted to the enjoyment of the lilies, dahlias, and gladioli for the remainder of the summer, as the only other summer task should be watering, feeding or deadheading. Dahlias should be fed a high potash feed to help them flower for the longest period. Autumn flowering bulbs should be planted in August, and in the summer months, only autumn flowering bulbs should be planted. Spring bulbs should be ordered in August as other retailers are typically in October. So, this month should be dedicated to ordering to ensure the breadth of varieties available.

September

Planting begins for autumn with one basic guideline: avoid tulips. Daffodils go in first as they make roots early and resent waiting, and small early bulbs, the crocuses, snowdrops, winter aconites, scillas and dwarf irises, go in next. Smaller bulbs dry out the quickest in storage. This is why they require the least amount of time before going in the ground. Most bulbs should be planted at a depth of about two to three times the height of the bulb, and for those growing in light soil, they should be planted at a greater depth with no exceptions for shallower depths.

October

Daffodils are finished and the remaining bulbs are planted. This includes alliums, hyacinths, fritillaries, muscari and camassias, into soil that is in full sun or at least light shade. Generally, bulbs are scattered by the handful if they will be planted in areas of grass. This is the case for naturalized bulbs, and especially the smaller daffodils and crocuses. This may sound careless; however, the appearance of bulbs in nature is just as important. Gladioli corms are harvested by the end of the month and stored in paper bags along with plugs for begonias that are kept dry in compost.

November

It’s Tulip Month! Tulips are deliberately kept back until now, as planting into colder soil starves the tulip fire fungus of the warm damp conditions it needs. A tulip planted in November will always be healthier than one planted in September. Dig a deep hole between 15 to 20cm. Select a spot that has the best drainage with the most sunlight, or even use pots that have compost with some grit. November also marks the time of year that Frosts descend and blacken the dahlias. This means you must mulch the dahlias that are left in the ground to overwinter, or in the colder gardens, lift the tubers, dry them, and then place them in a frost free location with barely damp compost.

December

While the ground is still open, tulip planting can continue even between Christmas and the New Year. Dahlias that have been planted later will flower just a little later. The rest of the bulbs are in a dormant state, with their tuber in storage, and it is time for the hyacinths to be checked. Hyacinths that were prepared as autumn flowerers are brought in from the cold to flower. Gardening has gotten as close to a rest as it can.

A note on buying

Good quality bulbs are the same no matter the season. They will be firm and heavy with no soft spots or mold. Larger bulbs will produce bigger flowers and a greater amount of flowers as they contain more stored food. Because of this, size does equal quality. Cheap, mixed bags of bulbs are useful for filling up empty spaces. However, for the areas you would actually like to be viewed, you should always get named, specialist varieties. It is worth the extra pennies.