Daffodils

·        Daffodils are best planted from the beginning of April, through to mid-May (however can happily be planted a couple of weeks either side of that) Planting into the ground.

·        Daffodil’s, as with most Bulbs, require a good amount of Sun (for best results). The beauty of Daffodils however is they are significantly more tolerant of shade. They can therefore be planted in Full Sun or Part shade. Ensure that the soil is free draining, and if it’s not, build it up around 10cm with soil to create a raised bed.

·        Plant your Daffodil Bulbs with the pointed tip facing up, around 10cm below the surface of the soil, with a nice mix of fertilizer… try our special Bulb Food mix for superior results!

·        Once planted, give them a good dousing of water - a good deep watering.

·        After a few days, your Daffodil Bulbs will begin working their magic - roots will start appearing, so it’s essential that if there hasn’t been any rain, that you continue to water occasionally. Planting in pots

·        Daffodils are fantastic in pots - the best varieties being the miniature versions such as Tete a Tete Daffodil. Ensure your selected pot has drainage holes and is at least 20cm deep.

·        The soil should be a good quality potting mix. You can add in some well worked garden soils too… if you do, make sure you add in Bulb Food.

·        Plant your Daffodil Bulbs 10cm deep

·        Choose an area that has full Sun to part Shade. On your deck or patio works a treat.

·        Give them a good deep watering. Keep in mind that potting mix tends to dry out quickly, so it’s a good idea to water them occasionally. The beauty of growing them in pots, is that when they start dying down and looking a bit scruffy, they are easily moved out of sight.

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tULIPS

Tulips love colder climates, but also do incredibly well in warmer climates  - if you don’t have a cold climate, we recommend chilling your tulip bulbs for 6 to 8 weeks prior to planting. This will trick them into thinking they are having their winter period and prolong their stems and flowering period.

If you’re chilling them you should leave them in their paper bags, and pop into your fridge around late March - taking them out to plant late May. Keep an eye on your bulbs as they are being chilled as you don’t want them to go mouldy.

Planting into the ground…

·        Pick a nice sunny spot for your tulip bulbs - full sun or part shade if you’re in a warm region.

·        Plant in free draining soil, around 10cm deep (in cool regions), and 15cm in warmer regions, and leave spacings of around 10cm to give them room for expansion. If your soil isn’t free draining, you’ll need to raise the beds slightly to ensure they don’t get bogged down during the winter months.

·        Give your bulbs a kick start using specially prepared bulb food… they’ll thank you for it with an even better display.

Planting in pots…

·        Ensure you get a good quality potting mix and mix in a bit of compost for good measure.

·        Plant your tulip bulbs 10cm deep, with spacings of only 1 or 2cm’s (this will give you a stunning display!)

·        Give them a nice deep watering to begin with, and site your pots in an area that gets full sun to part shade. It’s essential to keep watering them, as potting mix will easily dry out.

·        Add some mulch on top to keep the soil moisture in… and the weeds out!  Ensure that the mulch is fairly fine.

After their Spring flowering (and before they go to seed), we recommend de-heading the flowers (if you haven’t already cut them for your vase). This will ensure that all the energy is put back into the Tulip Bulb, rather than energy going into the formation of seed.  It’s important not to cut down the leaves until they are yellow, as this is a vital part of the growing process.

BLUEBELLS

Bluebells are the ideal bulb for naturalizing - they are hardy wee things, that enjoy part shade. Perfect for under-tree plantings. There are two types of Bluebells - English Bluebells, and the more common variety found in New Zealand, the Spanish Bluebells. Spanish Bluebells grow much easier in our climate.

 Planting guide

·        Site your Bluebells in an area that gets full sun or part shade. Ensure that the soil is free draining. Ideally somewhere that they can be left to naturalise over the years.

·        Loosen the soil to a depth of at least 15cm and mix in our Bulb Food… alternatively a good quality general purpose fertilizer will do the trick.

·        Plant your Bluebell Bulbs with the pointy side facing upwards, to a depth of 10cm. Leave spacings of 10cm’s to give them space to multiply and bulk up.

·        Keep your Bluebell Bulbs moist, but not wet… keep watering from time to time until the foliage has died down completely (after flowering has been and gone)

Remember •

·        Scilla’s also make a lovely addition to the bouquet - the best time to be picking these flowers is early morning, before the heat of the sun hits.

·        As with all Bulbs, it’s important to let the leaves die down completely before removing the spent leaves. This will ensure all the Nutrients end up back down in the Bulb for next seasons growth

SNOWFLAKES

Choose a well-drained spot in the garden that gets full sun to part shade.

Enrich the soil with some compost and  Blood & Bone with Seaweed before planting.

Place the bulb directly where the plant is to grow at a depth of 7 cm and 10 cm apart.

Water well to keep the soil moist.Once shoots start to appear, feed with  Granular Plant Food. TIP: For an added boost, apply  Fish & Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate.

Feed the plant regularly until the leaves start to die down. This will provide it with more strength next season. Plants can be left in the ground undisturbed

FREESIAS

Freesia’s are a Kiwi favourite - their stunning sweet scent and beautiful colourful blooms make for an instant impact in any garden.

·       Freesia Bulbs are well suited for naturalising, establishing themselves relatively quickly within the garden, but are also perfect in pots. The beauty of growing Freesias in pots is the ability to move them close to the house once in flower, to distribute their heavenly aroma.

·       Freesias are actually corms rather than Bulbs, and will send out all of their nutrients in one season to produce a beautiful display. The corm will then reproduce into several other corms, with the initial corm fading away into nothing.

·       You can plant Freesias anytime from March through to late May.

·       Freesia Bulbs (Corms) require full Sun or part shade to thrive.

·       Ensure your soil is free draining. If the soil retains too much water, the corms will rot away in the Winter Months. To avoid this, you can build up your beds.

·       Loosen the soil to a depth of at least 15cm, and mix in some good quality Bulb fertilizer.

·       Plant Freesias with the pointy part of the corm facing upwards, and a depth of around 6cm. You can plant Freesia Bulbs fairly close together, however we would suggest no closer than 5cm.

·       Give your Freesias a good deep initial watering, and continue to do so once every few days if conditions are dry, or if you have planted them in pots (generally potting mix dries out quickly)