Gardening: old egg trays as tool for planting tulips

We were planting some of last year’s bulbs which had been taken out of containers at the beginning of the summer. We composted the smallest bulblets which would take years to bulk up and flower again, but kept the biggest – at least 2cm diameter.

They won’t all flower next year because not all varieties are reliably perennial, but over the past few years we have tried to select the more perennial varieties and there are lots which now reappear year after year in the beds, borders and long grass in the old orchard.

Niffing roses (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening)

This time, however, we are trying something new. Our newly weeded and mulched veg patch has a bed which is reserved for cut flowers.

The plan is to have as many perennials as possible, so we will be moving some of our dahlias here, along with some new plants, and this is now the home to last year’s tulips.

The new thing is that we have trialled a planting method spotted on social media using old egg trays. The idea is that this makes spacing the tulips really easy and should make picking (and weeding) super easy too.

We dug out an area wide enough for two egg trays, long enough for three and about 15cm deep. We filled the egg trays and laid them in the trench.

Niffing roses (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening)

There is a little film of how we did it on Instagram and Facebook if you are interested. We’ll update you in the spring on how it worked – and on how many of the 150 bulbs actually flower!

Jenny ‘Niff’ Barnes was back for another packed day teaching and inspiring more would-be ‘Niffers’.

We are hoping lots of them will send us photos of their rose sculpting creations in their own gardens over the coming months.

Tulip bulb planting in egg trays (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening)

If you would like to learn how to create these wonderful winter sculptures you could join us next year. We have just added the dates for next winter and they are already booking up.

And finally, a little reminder of the perfect present for the gardener in your life: we offer personalised gift vouchers for any value you choose.

We can email them or put them in the post to reach you in time for Christmas. Let us know if you would like one!

Upcoming courses:

Introduction to Garden Design – from 8 January

Certificate in Practical Horticulture – from 9 January

Advanced Practical Gardening – 14 January

Chainsaw Use & Cross Cutting – 25 February

Viburnum tinus Eve Price (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening)

Plant of the Week
Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ is covered in flowers at the moment. It is a handsome, evergreen shrub which brings colour and structure to the garden throughout the year. Native to the Mediterranean, it forms a dense, rounded shape with glossy, dark green leaves. From December to April, it produces clusters of rosy-pink buds that open to lightly fragrant white flowers, providing valuable nectar for late and early pollinators as well as being perfect to cut and take into the house. These are followed by metallic blue-black berries.

‘Eve Price’ thrives in sun or partial shade and well-drained soil, and it tolerates coastal conditions and urban pollution. Hardy and low-maintenance, it can be lightly pruned after flowering to maintain size and shape.