Why Autumn Is the Best Time to Think About Spring

There is a quiet satisfaction in planting bulbs on a chilly October afternoon, when the borders are collapsing and the last of the cosmos is going over. What you are doing is banking colour. Daffodils, tulips, alliums, crocuses and snowdrops all need a period of cold to trigger flowering, which is why autumn planting works so reliably in the UK. Get them into the ground between September and November, and by the time the clocks go forward you will have weeks of colour with almost no effort required.

The single biggest reason bulbs fail is not cold, pests or bad luck — it is waterlogged soil. Bulbs rot in ground that sits wet through winter. Choose a spot that drains freely, or improve the soil before you plant, and you have solved most of the problem before it starts.

Choosing Your Bulbs and Knowing When to Plant Them

Bulbs arrive in garden centres and by post from late August, and the order you plant them in matters more than most people realise. As a rough guide:

• September to early October: daffodils, narcissi, snowdrops, crocuses, camassia and alliums. These want time to root before the cold sets in.
• October to November: tulips. Planting them later reduces the risk of tulip fire, a fungal disease that thrives in warm, damp autumn conditions.
• November to December: still fine for tulips in most of the UK, provided the ground is not frozen or sodden.

Buy bulbs that feel firm and heavy for their size, with no soft patches or mould. Skip anything shrivelled or lightweight — it has dried out and will flower poorly, if at all. Plant at roughly three times the bulb's own depth: a 5cm daffodil bulb goes about 15cm down, a small crocus about 8cm. Space them two to three bulb-widths apart, and plant in generous drifts rather than single rows. Groups of twenty always look better than twenty scattered singly.

Improving the Soil Before You Plant

Bulbs are storing next spring's energy right now, so the soil they sit in over winter determines how well they perform. Dig the bed over to a spade's depth and fork in plenty of well-rotted compost or manure. This does three jobs at once: it improves drainage on heavy clay, holds moisture on sandy ground, and feeds the bulbs slowly as they root.

If your soil is heavy and you cannot improve the whole border, plant into individual pockets. Take out a trowel of soil, fork a handful of compost into the bottom, sit the bulb on it and backfill. For pots, use a peat-free multipurpose compost mixed with a little grit or horticultural sand, and make sure the container has drainage holes that are not blocked.

• On clay: add grit and compost, and consider planting on a slight mound.
• On sand: add compost generously and water bulbs in after planting.
• In containers: raise pots onto feet so water drains freely through winter.

A handful of bone meal or a balanced slow-release fertiliser at planting time gives bulbs a good start. Avoid fresh manure directly around the bulb — it can burn the developing roots.

Marking Positions So You Do Not Dig Them Up

This is the tip that saves the most heartbreak. By the time bulbs are dormant in June, the border looks empty, and it is all too easy to sink a fork through a clump of tulips while planting summer bedding. Mark every group clearly and, ideally, in a way that survives rain, frost and the hoe.

• Push in short wooden or metal labels at the edge of each drift, writing the variety and planting depth in pencil.
• Photograph the border in flower, or sketch a simple plan of what went where, and keep it with your seed box.
• In mixed borders, plant bulbs behind perennials that emerge late, so the foliage of the perennials hides the yellowing bulb leaves.
• Leave the old foliage on for at least six weeks after flowering. It feeds next year's bulb, so resist the urge to tie it in knots or cut it back early.

Protecting Bulbs From Squirrels, Mice and Rot

Squirrels dig up freshly planted tulip and crocus bulbs with grim enthusiasm. Daffodils and alliums are usually left alone, because they are toxic and taste unpleasant, which is worth remembering if wildlife is a problem in your garden. For the rest, there are practical defences. Lay a sheet of chicken wire just below the soil surface over the planted area, or plant into pots covered with a wire mesh until shoots appear. Firm the soil well afterwards and water lightly — the scent of freshly disturbed compost is what attracts them.

Mice and voles will take bulbs in winter, particularly in rural gardens. Planting deeper helps, as does avoiding a thick mulch directly over the bulbs. If slugs are a nuisance, note that they rarely trouble bulbs themselves but will graze the young shoots — a light scattering of organic slug pellets, used sparingly, is enough in most gardens.

Finishing the Job and Looking Ahead to Spring

Once everything is in, water the bed well if the weather is dry, then leave it be. A layer of mulch over the surface in late autumn will suppress weeds without smothering the shoots, provided you keep it clear of the crowns. Through winter, check pots after hard frosts and water sparingly if the compost dries out, but never let them sit in a saucer of water.

The reward comes quietly. First the snowdrops in January, then crocuses, daffodils, tulips and the tall purple globes of alliums carrying you right through to June. All of it from a few hours of work on an autumn afternoon — and if you marked your plantings properly, you can add to them next year without ever digging up what you already have.