Change is ahead in our gardens as we reach the end of spring and wave goodbye to spring flowers like daffodils and tulips and welcome summer plants and flowers.
But this can throw up quite the gardening conundrum if spring flowers have been placed in our best pots and planters.
Most spring flowers, including daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, shouldn’t be moved immediately after flowering as this could disrupt their energy-storage cycle and impact next year’s blooms.
Unfortunately this can mean being stuck with pots of withering flowers that won’t continue to bloom during the summer season.
Luckily, gardening guru Monty Don has shared a simple trick to make the most of your best pots.
“As the spring bulbs end their flowering season, they need to be left so that the foliage can slowly die back,” Monty explains.
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“But if they are in a handsome pot, that means the pot can’t be used for months on end.”
A simple swap means that spring flowers can be given the space they need to complete their cycle, while freeing up space for more attractive summer blooms.
“So I lift them out of the good pot, put them into an upcycled plastic pot, where they can be set to one side, and it frees up a really nice container for summer display,” he explains.
We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to vibrant flowers to plant in May, including cornflowers, sunflowers, cosmos and Californian poppies.
A word of warning on cosmos, though – they are great to grow in containers, but avoid small pots as you will have to water them constantly.
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This advice went down well with followers of the Gardener’s World Instagram account, with one commenting underneath the reel how she makes the process even easier.
“I have taken to getting a plastic pot (Elho) and placing them inside my terracotta pots so just lift the plastic pot!” the gardener wrote.
“I feel like a cheat but it’s much less faff.”
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