Joseph Atkin's latest Evening Post gardening column

Making planting holes or flaps for 5000 Scilla bulbs.

The latest gardening column written by Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin for the South Wales Evening Post -

After weeks of rain, there is finally a glimmer of sunshine allowing us all to get out and do a good stint in the garden.
The last few weeks have been spent bulb planting at Aberglasney and with literally thousands to do there is a good deal of trepidation involved.
Having spoken about bulb planting recently, I realised that very little had been said about probably my favourite use for bulbs.
Planting bulbs in grass or lawns is an excellent way to increase all year round interest.
In fact, some of the best garden features I have seen have been simply a tree in a lawn under planted with bulbs.
This may seem basic but a really interesting tree with good flower and autumn colour, under-planted with spring and autumn flowering bulbs, can give a huge amount of pleasure for very little cost or effort.
There is an added incentive as the grass needs to be cut a little less often, which for some of us is a real help.
One thing I did not realise was that the Tywi Valley has some of the best dairy land in the country.
What this means is the grass grows seriously quickly for most of the year.
With about four acres of amenity and pedestrian mown grass at Aberglasney Gardens, cutting it takes a huge amount of time.
Well cut grass is always good to see but can we get a little more interest out of it?
Well this is what we are trying to do this year - grow bulbs in grass.
It’s a great idea with one downfall, you have to wait for the bulbs to die down before you cut the grass.
This is a particular problem with Narcissus (daffodil) as they can look mess for a long time after flowering.
The trick then is to plant them in long grass areas which are cut less often and the dying stems can be hidden in the grass.
Careful choice of bulbs can get round this problem quite easily.
If you grow early spring flowering bulbs like Scilla and Crocus or autumn flowering Crocus the grass grows more slowly and they have the added advantage of dying back very quickly after flowering.
There is a huge drift of Scilla at Kew Gardens which flowers in March-April and the grass can be cut back about week or two after flowering.
This means the area never gets overgrown and there is about a three-week splash of colour.
When planting in grass, larger quantities of bulbs are usually needed but the same principle applies.
Generally, naturalistic plantings work best, for instance 5000 Scilla are being planted at our entrance and 5000 Crocus in the Upper Walled Garden lawn.
The idea of planting these numbers of bulbs is very daunting but there are a few tricks that can make the job a little easier.
Both bulbs can be planted about two and a half times their depth which, because they are only about a centimetre tall, roughly works out to the depth of a thick piece of turf.
By pulling back the strip of turf but not removing it (like a flap) you create a pretty good planting hole into which a small hand full of bulbs can be scattered.
The hard part is keeping the planting natural. There are a couple of tricks we use such as different sized holes with the flaps in different directions and using a normal bulb planter to add in smaller clumps.
If the turf is gently pressed back down, then the bulbs should not be damaged.
If they have sprouted a little then they will damage more easily and, although not ideal, it can be better to lie them on their sides.
It’s best to do this job when there is plenty of moisture around as it will allow the turf to re-establish more easily.
Taking a few photographs of the planting before the holes are filled in can be really helpful later in the season especially when it’s time to mow.
Naturalising bulbs in lawns can really add to spring and autumn interest without causing lawn mowing headaches.
The real trick is careful placing and choice of bulbs. For advice on this, specialist bulb growers are probably the most helpful.
Tips for the week
•Make the most of the dry weather and do any digging.
•It’s not too late to plant later flowering bulbs like Tulips.
•This is about the last chance to buy and plant wall flowers.
•If you have free draining soil onion and garlic sets can be planted.
•Grease band fruit trees.
•It’s not too late to plant up winter baskets.

Planting Scilla using both methods makes the task easier.