It’s the time of year when garden centres are full of enticing bulbs for spring colour. But what happens when you get the bulbs home? While you can usually get away with the ‘dig a hole and pop it in’ approach to bulb planting, a little more consideration will give you better results and help the bulbs thrive year after year.

There are 3 steps for good bulb (or in some cases corm or tuber) planting:

Bulbs, like any other plants, need to be planted in the optimum soil conditions. So prepare the ground by improving the soil with organic matter such as garden compost and, if drainage is poor, dig in some grit.

If you’re planting your bulbs in pots make sure you pick a container which is deep enough and wide enough for the final size of the flowers (particularly if growing tall plants such as lilies) and has drainage holes at the bottom. If the pot is fairly large, add a layer of gravel or similar drainage material into the bottom of the pot. If you’re intending to replace the display each year (or at least remove the bulbs for replanting the next season) then you can use a mix of 75% multi-purpose compost and 25% grit or perlite. If you’re intending to keep the bulbs in the pot for more than a year, replace the multi-purpose compost with a loam-based compost such as John Innes No.2.

If you’re buying new bulbs then plant them as soon as possible.

Check the bulb over before planting it and discard any which are damaged, shrivelled, soft or showing signs of rot.

Dig a hole with a trowel or use a specialist bulb planter (if you have lots of bulbs then the long handled planters you push in with your foot are easier than the shorter ones). The hole should be as wide as your bulb is.

The depth to plant bulbs can be rather confusing, though most packets will include planting depths (so don’t bin them before you’re finished!). Here’s a rough guide to how deep common spring bulbs should be planted:

• Allium (most varieties) – 10 to 15cm deep (4 to 6 inches)
• Crocus – 8 to 12 cm deep (3 to 5 inches)
• Cyclamen – just below soil level
• Daffodils (large varieties) (Narcissus) – 20cm deep (8 inches)
• Daffodils (smaller varieties) (Narcissus) – 15cm deep (6 inches)
• Fritillaria meleagris – 8cm deep (3 inches)
• Hyacinths (Hyacinthus) – 12 to 15cm deep (5 to 6 inches)
• Muscari – 10cm deep (4 inches)
• Tulips (most varieties) (Tuplia) – 15cm deep (6 inches)

Put the bulb in the hole with its nose (the pointy end) upwards, if you can’t tell which end is the nose then plant the bulb on its side, it will turn itself the right way round. Space the bulbs at least double the bulb’s width apart. In pots they can be planted closer, just one bulb’s width apart.

Replace the soil on top of the bulb, breaking up large clumps and gently pushing it down so it doesn’t leave gaps around the bulb. Don’t press too hard or you could damage the growing tip.

If you’re planting in a container then fill the container to the depth you need the bulbs to sit at, put the bulbs in, then top up the soil. Cover the top of the container with chicken wire to prevent squirrels, mice or cats digging in it; this can then be removed when the shoots appear.

Water bulbs in containers regularly in the weeks leading up to them flowering (ie when they are actively growing) and after flowering until the foliage has died down. If you’re leaving the bulbs in the pot while they’re dormant you can reduce the watering, but just make sure the soil doesn’t dry out completely.

Regularly feed the bulbs while they’re growing using a multi-purpose fertiliser like Growmore on beds and a liquid feed (tomato feed is ideal) in pots. Keep on feeding them after flowering until the foliage dies down.

Deadhead spent flowers regularly, but don’t cut down the foliage, leave it to die back naturally – the bulbs need this to continue photosynthesising and build up energy for next year’s flowers.

More information on planting bulbs. We also have tips for propagating bulbs and forcing bulbs for Christmas flowers.