Garden Q&A: Is it too early to plant spring bulbs?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Carefully chosen, spring bulbs can bring colour to the garden from December to June. Crocuses not only look beautiful but they are important to bees and other pollinators early in the year. Picture: iStock

QUESTION

Is it too early to plant spring bulbs? 

I have seen them in some supermarkets but I still think it's too early as it's summer?

ANSWER

Spring-flowering bulbs such as crocuses, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and alliums can all be planted in the autumn for blooming next spring but yes, it is still, for at least a few weeks, too early to plant. 

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

You really want the temperatures to start dropping before planting so that they don’t flower too early. 

Tulips, in particular, need cool temperatures before planting and I often don’t plant my tulips until December or even January. 

A nice idea too, is to stagger the planting period, planting some bulbs each week over 6-10 weeks in the autumn and this will have the effect of extending the flowering period on the other end.

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