Gardening Tips - Light Up Your Garden with Summer Bulbs

If you have great enthusiasm for Summer flowering bulbs then it is now time to plan out your garden for a glorious fanfare of color and smells. Summer bulbs can give you great colour, if planted right, long after your perrenials have faded. So, which summer bulbs are reasonably to grow? If you are looking for realiability, try dahlias, Gladioli and Lilies. There are some wonderful low growing dahlias for the front of the border. Try Dahlia Gallery "Art Neveau" which grows about 25-45cms in height and forms a compact plant perfect for use in your borders.

Most summer-flowering bulbs which are to be planted out after the last frosts should be dunked in a bucket of water for an hour before planting and left to soak. These bulbs have been without water for months so this process will help them to become active. A lot of people just buy summer-flowering bulbs and throw them into the ground without thinking about them. Remember, they have been dormant for some time and you need to give them a boost to activate them.

Soil should be fertile and not too hard and dry, although it should be free-draining. With bulbs, it is not necessary to put in extra fertlizer but you can add slow-release fertalizer when the bulb starts to develop. An addition of sand and grit may also be necessary if you have very heavy, wet soil. Other varieties well suited to borders include Crocosmia, Gladioli and Asiatic Lillies. Summer bulbs, corms and tubers which need lifting in their dormant period include Begonia, Gladioli and Dahlias. You can leave Lilies, Anemones and Eucomis in the ground however if planted in containers ensure that there is plenty of drainage, bring them close to the house in late frost and keep them well watered in dry, windy weather.

Bedding plants can be planted on top of bulbs so you can have early color before the bulbs emerge. Species such as Eucomis looks great at the end of the season when the seed pods are particularly attractive. Agapanthus may not necessarily flower each year however they are well worth leaving them in your border for when they do flower they are vibrant. Freesias are great for greenhouses but not brilliant in colder climates. However, if you are an admirer of these beautiful dancing ladies then you have to ensure to cover them while there is frost around.