Color that lasts and lasts

While the colorful flowers produced by the spring-flowering bulbs are still in full bloom, it’s time to plant summer bulbs in the garden. This way, the succession of flowers won’t stop and your garden will remain ablaze with color. After all, summer bulbs keep on blooming until far into the fall. They’ll only stop flowering when the first frost occurs. Dahlias in particular are tireless when it comes to producing new flowers. So don’t wait any longer – plant these jewels of summer now and make your garden a joy to behold.

Chic, elegant or subtle

The nice thing about summer bulbs is that they come in all kinds and sizes: something for everyone. Some varieties such as lilies and dahlias produce huge flowers that make them the true divas of the garden. For elegance, you have the classic beauties like calla lilies (Zantedeschia) and gladioli (Gladiolus). But maybe subtle is more your style. If so, choose begonias, Ornithogalum thyrsoides (Chincherinchee) or Hymenocallis (Spider Lily) for a tasteful display.

Planting summer bulbs

With the sun on your face, planting summer bulbs in the garden is a really nice little job that gives you a lot of satisfaction. So make good use of a sunny day in April or May! But how do you go about planting summer bulbs?

1. First, find a sunny spot in the garden since summer bulbs will produce the most flowers when bathed in summer heat.
2. Then work the soil with a rake to loosen it and remove any weeds and small stones.
3. Now plant your summer bulbs in the soil. A good way to remember how deep to plant them is this little rule: plant them twice as deep as the bulb is tall. Two exceptions to this are dahlias and begonias that should be planted just beneath the surface. They need the warmth of the sun to get going and start developing shoots. If this isn’t enough information, simply follow the directions on the packaging.
4. Another tip: either immerse the bulbs in water for an hour before planting or give them a lot of water immediately after planting. Giving them plenty of water at first gets summer bulbs off to a good start.

Good to know

• Trim away faded flowers. You’ll notice new ones appearing in no time.
• Summer bulbs will also make a dazzling display in pots and containers. Give them a generously sized pot with enough potting compost to grow in and don’t forget plenty of water on warm summer days.
• You could also pick their flowers for use in a vase. Dahlias and calla lilies in particular make excellent cut flowers. This way, you can enjoy them not just in your garden but also indoors.