Green-fingered Brits have until the end of autumn to plant spring bulbs, Gardeners’ World presenter Joe Swift has claimed.
The TV gardener said that, despite the popular consensus that gardeners need to plant spring bulbs in September and October, people should actually be able to plant them at any time in autumn, right up to the end of November.
The key is to plant them before the ground freezes, and with autumn weather starting particularly late this year, Joe wanted to put right a common misconception.
Writing in The Times, he said: “Many people may feel it’s a little late to be planting spring bulbs, but actually they can go in at any point during the autumn. Especially when, as is the case this year, we have had a particularly late, mild and dry autumn.
“Bulbs planted now will introduce plenty of spring and early summer colour before perennials and grasses push through.”
Joe, who has been involved on BBC’s Gardeners’ World since 1998, offered a range of potential bulbs people might consider planting. They include hyacinths, irises, camassias, narcissi and scillas.
He added: “You could have bulbs flowering from as early as January through to midsummer.
“Snowdrops may be the first out, but they are far more successfully planted ‘in the green’ after flowering next spring rather than as dry bulbs now.”
The Gardeners’ World presenter went on to say that his rationale is “more is more” because “large swathes of colour are always more impactful”.
He said the “versatile” plants can be grown in borders, lawns and containers. Joe advised gardeners to make sure the soil is soft before they are planted. His favourite bulbs are crocus, narcissus (daffodil), alliums, camassias and dwarf irises.
It comes after gardeners were warned to act now to save their roses from a deadly disease.
Autumn marks the start of the period when gardeners need to brace themselves for the harsh winter conditions, yet they might not recognise that this period can pose significant risks to the popular flower.
Roses become susceptible to fungal problems once the weather turns much wetter. Black spot is amongst the most severe conditions that this may cause.
It earns its name from the dark patches that form on leaves before they turn yellow and die. Once it infiltrates a garden it can prove very difficult to remedy while it tends to return annually.
Callan Harvey, an expert from Garden Benches, has explained that a natural method to ward off black spot involves simply maintaining the soil surrounding your roses.
He said: “Regularly pick up and destroy fallen leaves that may harbour spores. During pruning, remove any stems showing signs of infection.”
Black spot spores can survive for a long time on decomposing vegetation. When abandoned on the ground, they may lie dormant during winter before infecting plants again once spring returns.
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