The earliest Spring bulbs, the brightest way to begin the year

As a gardener, you're always looking forward and planning ahead. How often do you find yourself thinking, ‘Next year…

• I’ll need to move this,'
• I’ll try something new,'
• I want to see how this grows,'
• I’ll have to get rid of this.’

A year can seem like a long time, but patience is one of a gardener’s virtues. There’s no denying that the anticipation of seeing autumn-planted bulbs bloom is part of the fun. Shoots peeking through the ground give us hope for a new season and fresh ideas. The peak of this anticipation is during late winter when early flowering bulbs begin to emerge.

When can I expect to see my spring bulbs?

From January to March, plants are on a level playing field. The beds are sparse so they won’t have to compete with unruly weeds and bushy perennials, and the canopy of trees hasn’t grown back, so plenty of light falls on otherwise shady ground.

Cold winters can slow down growth but you'll expect to see some snowdrops peaking through as early as January. They can look a little lost in the empty beds so it is iften a good idea to fill pots to frame them. However, by the end of Febraury many more bulbs such as iris, eranthis or daffodils will start to fill the gaps. March is when things really get growing!

What are the best bulbs for winter blooms?

We shouldn’t overlook the beauty of early bloomers to add vibrant colours to your garden even before the tulips arrive. Tulips might well be the highlight of the spring season, but why not extend the flowering time of your garden with these early spring bulbs? 

Here our some of our favourite early flowering spring bulbs

Hyacinths

Plant these in doors and force over winter or plant in autumn for the brightest and beautifully scented flowers spring has to offer.

Crocus

I plant mine among snowdrops seamlessly extending the flowering time of the plants under my trees. Early bees will thank you for planting crocus of any kind.

Iris

It might be too cold to spend a lot of time outside but plant these dainty little flowers in pots and place them near your window so you can look out on a burgeoning spring time

Snowdrops 

Established snowdrops can begin as early as January, with some special varieties coming up much sooner. However our common snowdrops will surely break the barren winter landscape from mid winter right up to spring.

Eranthis

A bright golden nugget, best left undisturbed on a woodland floor. Watch this winter aconite expand it’s reach year after year

Puschkinia 

The Russian snowdrop. Perhaps an overlooked flower because of its simplicity and early flowering time, however this is a very cheap bulb that works just as hard as any other. A worthy pollinator and naturalising white flower.

Daffodils

You can’t deny the importance of daffodils, synonymous with spring. Yellow daffodils tend to be the first of the daffodils to flower but our range is packed full of interesting shapes and colours. Plant them anywhere and they’ll repay you year after year.

Muscari

These little work horses diligently fill the lower levels of your garden with blues and whites. Keep them contained in pots or let them loose in wild areas of the garden.

You can compliment these bulbs with Hellebores available to purchase in early winter.