Guide to summer-flowering bulbs

Plan an amazing spring garden with our helpful suggestions.

Small Garden Hints & Tips

Make room for more flowers and plants with our favourite tips.

Tips & Advice

Learn a few hints and tips on caring for plants and flowers and a handy guide on how to create a gift bouquet.

Growing Suppliers

We’re proud to work with suppliers across Britain and help raise growing standards across the world.

Planning your summer garden

Whether you want a traditional look or a more modern style, there’s a wide choice of bulbs still available. For traditional, go with geranium bullseye or petunia and for modern, pick dahlia’s.

Choosing your colours

Plan ahead and you can enjoy a synchronised show of colour when your bulbs bloom.

How to plant bulbs

The distance between each bulb should be 3x its width, and they should be buried at 3x their depth. Make sure they’re in the sun and that you water them immediately after planting.

Hanging plant jars

Go green in more ways than one with this stylish tip. Take your old glass jars (tins are good too) and turn them into simple planters. Bring in some string and you can hang them together for a natural touch to your home.

Vertical garden

Building a vertical garden can be as easy as stacking crates and filling them with pretty plants. Or you can show off by building a bespoke unit, simple frame or monogram piece.

Pots & planters

Chances are that you have no grass or flower beds. That’s okay, because all you need is a great collection of pots and planters. Fix to a wall or fence to display your favourite flowers and vegetable seeds.

Think about garden furniture

You don’t want to clutter the little space you have but choosing the right furniture can add something special to the area. Compact tables and chairs are just the right touch. Find ideas in our Garden Shop!

For lasting orchids

When watering orchid plants, try to pour it under the plant’s leaves. If the centre crown of the plant gets wet then wipe it dry to avoid crown rot, which will kill the plant.

For lovely lilies

To help your lilies last longer before placing them in water cut the stems at a 45° angle so it’s easier for them to suck up water. Then carefully pluck the pollen from each of the stamens.

For bedding plants

Remember to place them to soak in a bucket of water before planting. Then water every day. Try a little slow-release fertiliser in the compost. And watch them flourish by picking off flower heads as soon as they fade.

Step 1

Trim off excess foliage, outer petals of roses and snip all stems about an inch up at an angle using sharp scissors. Leave these to have a good drink in fresh, clean water for up to 24 hours.

Step 2

Choose 3 stems of your best and biggest flowers and cross the stems over each other in a spiral. Use one hand to hold these firmly. These will form the middle of your bouquet.

Step 3

Continue to add your flowers by turning the bouquet to build a circular shape whilst holding it together with your other hand. Aim to have your flowers at a similar height at this point.

Step 4

Keep checking you’re happy by looking at it from all angles. Remove and add flowers as necessary and angle your outer flowers slightly lower than the others to give it that dome bouquet shape.

Step 5

Tie the stems together securely using the length of twine. Trim the stems to all be the same length using sharp scissors, cut at a 45° angle.

Step 6

To wrap your bouquet, cut 2 lengths of brown paper and fold these both at an angle to create 2 peaks

Step 7

Place your bouquet in the middle of one of the sheets of paper and tape the 2 ends securely together.

Step 8

Place the bouquet over the second piece of paper, ensuring the peaks are evenly spaced and then secure with some tape.

Step 9

All that’s left to do is write a card to accompany your beautiful gifting bouquet, which you’ve created thanks to these simple steps from Ashlee Jane @the_suffolk_nest.

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