Buckingham OCT issue 2012
20/9/12
08:45
Page 24
T h e G a rd e n i n
October
The flowers reach 4-6in (10-15cm) when in bloom but its foliage grows to 12in (30cm) in the spring, so be careful not to plant it at the front of the border. If you have a good sized lawn, why not naturalise a few bulbs in this as well? Plant colchicums to around twice the depth of the corm, in moist soils that are well drained. Looking further into late winter, we have the early crocus, namely Crocus tommasinianus to provide an important source of early pollen for bumble and honeybees and their new brood in particular. This crocus has (pictured) pale lilac to purple flowers with a Royal Horticultural Award of Garden Merit (AGM). It is a real star - it blooms from January, and once established, in the border freely self-seeds. Best of all, it will tolerate most situations and soil types, so is a must-have bulb. You can also get named varieties including 'Ruby
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Giant': large, violet flowers (see picture), which make a stunning show especially when planted in bold numbers. For best results, this bulb needs full sun and in Buckingham clay, add a little potting compost to the planting hole - mixed with a little sharp sand or grit. The very name, round-headed leeks, Allium sphaerocephalon, doesn’t exactly conjure the best picture of a plant (nor roll off the tongue especially well!), but they are much more attractive than they sound! Their small round umbels of purple flowers make a helpful addition to borders when planted in numbers, and are a useful source of nectar. Being an ornamental onion, it flowers in June and July, and reaches a height of about 2ft (60cm). Like all other alliums, it thrives in full sun and needs well-worked fertile soil to prosper. Plant the bulbs 2-4 inches (5-10cm) deep in groups. Interestingly, round-headed leeks have only been found on one site in the wild in the UK, but once you have this beauty in your garden, I suspect many more alliums are likely to follow! There’s a bit of a debate as to whether the common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis, RHS AGM) is a native. However they are incredibly well distributed and their early flowering means they are helpful for bumble and honeybees. They do best in a part-shaded location, so under deciduous trees or large shrubs is good. As far as the soil, so long as it doesn’t dry out in the summer and is not too wet in winter, any soil is good. Plant the bulbs as soon as you can from the garden centre as they don’t like to hang around unplanted!
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