Plant now for a glorious garden

Although spring took a while to turn into summer, you needn’t be as hesitant about slipping on your wellies and heading out into your garden patch. Now is the perfect time to plant the bulbs that will yield glorious summer flowers. Rich soil


Before you lay your bulbs, make sure you’ve rich, fertile soil to ensure ease of growth. Remove any weeds from the area you’re looking to cultivate. Use a universal planting mix such as Westland’s Gro-Sure by scattering over then, lightly mixing into, the soil you’re about to plant. A universal planting mix will control the moisture levels, support healthy plant growth, and include a mix of fast-release and slow-release nutrients - the former to promote the plant at the start, the latter to provide nourishment long-term.

Long-lasting glories that thrive in the sun


Lay the foundation of your garden with a collection of half-hardy and perennials such as Taylors’ 100 Days of Colour collection that will bloom from July to September. Long-lasting blooms will ensure your garden remains fecund while more temperamental, show-stopping blooms ebb and flow. Plant in pockets around your garden, in fertile, well-drained soil, and you’ll be rewarded with perpetual prettiness.


100 Days of Colour is comprised of popular bulbs that do well in direct sunlight, including the distinctive ‘sword-lily’ - a plant with deep-green, sword-shaped leaves a-topped with creamy white blossoms splashed with teardrop-shaped pink blotches, as well as the the deep pink blush of the delicate pink lily leek (a lovely ornamental onion).

Show-stopping Dahlias


You’d expect a Mexican export to be exotic and vibrant, and so it is with dahlias, redolent of the paradise from whence they came. With their richly coloured, abundant blooms and deep green foliage these stylish plants are perfect if you’re looking to add drama and impact to your garden. Scatter bulbs around the borders to draw the eye.


Plant the Bishop Dahlia Selection 10 cm deep and you’ll be rewarded with four varieties of hardy bloomers that will flourish to 65 cm at full maturity and flower from June till first frost. The collection includes the scarlet-hued, velvety Bishop of Llandaff - a gasp of red in your landscape - and the none-more-sunshiney golden yellow glory of the Bishop of York dahlia.

Attract the flitter-flutter of tiny wings


Attracting bees and butterflies to your garden not only cultivates a delightfully verdant visage, it’s a natural way of pollinating your plot, ensuring the ongoing health of your blossoms. Plant nectar-rich flowers around your lawn verges to keep things a-buzz, such as Crocus Romance – which bursts with buttery-yellow goblet flowers, or the unusual, sky blue heads of the Mascara Valerie Finnis. All are included in the Bees and Butterfly collection, which will yield fragrant and vivid displays in May and September.

Shady numbers


If your garden is a shaded glade, opt for hardy perennials that do well in less sunshine, such as the Cottage Garden Collection. This riotous assemblage of blossoms includes the red sentinel, a shade-loving, scarlet-red bloom, and the Sarah Bernhardt - a pale pink, sweetly scented peony that is very productive.

Slug off!


Fans of moist, warm soil, slugs and snails enjoy munching the leaves of many garden plants. Leave these menacing molluscs unchecked and your hard-work may be undone – they can quickly strip a plant of its foliage. Sprinkle pellets such as Eraza Slug and Snail kill around your plants on exposed soil. Don’t be heavy handed though – a thin, scattered layer is your aim.

For all of your spring gardening needs, visit the Golden Days Garden Centre, a family-run business with over 30 years experience. Call into one of their three centres or buy online at www.goldendaysgardencentre.co.uk/