What bulbs can we plant for this time of year?

[~sillycow~]

We have recently moved to a new home and have started sorting out the garden, we have removed all weeds etc and have turned the soil. What i would like to know is what could we plant (or can we palnt anything at this time of year?) We have a big square plot at the bottom of the garden with nothing growing!! Sorry i'm new to all this green fingers lark!!

[Buenchico]

I hate gardening but I do know an excellent, month-by-month, website which I think you'll find really useful. It's run by the Royal Horticultural Society:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/calendar.asp
(Click on 'Flower Garden' or whatever other link takes your fancy).

I look forward to seeing you exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show in a few years time :-)

Chris

[vehelpfulguy]

Normally when you move into a new house it is best to leave the garden and "see what comes up".

There may already be bulbs in the ground which would come up anyway (at least before you turned the soil and disturbed them all).

Best go to a garden centre and ask advice on what bulbs can be planted in spring (spring planting bulbs).

http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/PlantCatalogue.asp?GroupID=20000

Plants from some bulbs normally only come up in spring then die away (like tulips of daffodils) and will not provide all round colour or interest.

You could plant shrubs. An evergeen shrub, like choisya sundance, will provide colour and interest all year round.

http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com/apple-tree-garden/yellow-choisya-sundance.html

There are evergreen shrubs (keep leaves in winter) and deciduous shrubs (lose leaves in winter) and it is good to have a few of these to give structure to the garden.

You could also plant a tree, something like an Acer (make sure you get an Acer tree not a shrub).

You can get a small tree from a garden centre for about �20 and watch it grow during the years you are there.

Get one that grows to only 20 or 30 feet so it does not over power the garden.

http://www.burgerfarms.com/trees_redmaple.htm

There is a lot to learn with gardening and be prepared to plant and replant until you get it right.

[vehelpfulguy]

The BBC have a good gardening section on their web site and you will find a lot of info there.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/

As someone else said, the RHS site is great.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/

Also go and visit other gardens. The National Garden Scheme (NGS) arrange to have thousands of ordinairy gardens open each year for charity.

http://www.ngs.org.uk/

You can buy the "Yellow Book" from WH Smiths and other shops which list all the NGS gardens open in each area and on which days.

Go and be "nosey" in other peoples gardens.

[reffgt]

I am glad I am not the only one who doesnt know what to put in the garden,but thanks to all your replies I have done a print out so I know which web to go into.As I am new to Qestions and answers,I am finding it most helpful.To all,keep the answers coming.

[WendyS]

I'm afraid you've missed the boat for planting any bulbs which you want to flower this Spring, i.e. daffodils, tulips, crocus which all need to be planted in the autumn. However, if you want some Sprinc colour and have an acid soil, you can plant some rhododenrons or azaleas bushes. . Go to a garden centre around end March/April and see what they have in flower. Magnolia stellata is a small flowering bush with pretty white flowers which flowers around April/May which won't grow taller than 4 feet in 15 years. Apart from Spring flowering bulbs, the next phase of really colourful plants will be in June when all the annual bedding plants arrive (Bussie Lizzies, begonias, salvias, petunias, etc). If you're not familiar with what plants look like, order some free gardening cataloues from Dobies, Sutton Seeds, Thomson & Morgan over the internet to help you work out some colour schemes and preferences. Happy gardening !.

[~sillycow~]

Thanks very much for all your help, greatly appreciated!! I will get there in the end!!