You do not always associate Tulips with fragrance but here is a selection that may be worth trying. Tulips do not need to be planted until November but if you want specific varieties it may be worth getting your order in sooner rather than later. I have received two bulb catalogues and the newspaper had a special offer this morning on lily flowers tulips. If you can’t get to a specialist nursery try mail order as your bulbs will be supplied at the right time and in good condition.

Scented Botanical or Species Tulips

• T. aucheriana rich sweet flowers open flat
• T. celsiana Persian tulip June blooms delicious scent
• T. gesneriana scarlet flowers sweetly scented
• T. primulina primrose yellow flowers smelling of lily of the valley
• T. saxatillis lilac flowers with primrose scent
• T. suaveolensscarlet scented blooms
• T. sylvestris Lemon-yellow with sweet perfume
• T .fragrans pronounced scent as you would expect with a name like that

Other Fragrant Tulips worth Considering

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The low growing ivy leaved cyclamen has marbled foliage and Spring or Autumn flowering. It grows from corms that are planted in  shade under trees or in rockeries with some cover.

The Autumn flowering C.Neapolitan (Hederifolium) varieties come in shades of pink to the album white

The pictured C.Coum variety is more hardy and flowers in spring.

In hard weather areas it may be necessary to grow in pots and lift them in severe conditions but if conditions suit they will form ground covering clumps.

The indoor varieties

• Florist varieties are not hardy but it is important to keep it cool and provide some air movement. If it is too warm the leaves will yellow.
• Don’t over or under wateror the leaves will go yellow wait until the soil feels dry
• Do not let the plant remain wilted
• Water with a good soaking from the bottom to stop the corm rotting
• Give the plant good light in winter
  
• A monthly feed in the growing season will help
• Dead flowers should be tugged free
• Leave for a rest period in summer and they will flower again the following Autumn
  

Grown from bulbs or tubers the Wood Sorrel and many of it’s relative in the Oxalis family are easy to grow. The shamrock shaped leaves of the low growing Oxalis flower in red, white, yellow, blue and pink. I bought 70 bulbs for £1 at Focus at the end of May and they have grown well already.

Cultivation Tips and Varieties to Grow

• Many varieties have a dark purple centre to the leaves or a patterned purple cross as in O. Deppei.
• O. trangularis has white flowers and dark purple leaves.
• The lime green of the leaves O. Ironcross is a fresh bright green in spring and this can show off the edges of a border.
• Most hardy varieties make excellent ground cover or rock plants and flower even in dry shade and poor soil.
• Oxalis Adenophylla has pale lilac flowers and neat parasol like leaves
• Better flowering may occur with a bit of high phosphate fertilizer
• Flowers are sensitive to light levels and often close early in the day
• Tender varieties need to be dug up and stored like begonia tubers
• A new red and white funnel shaped flower is now available O Versicolour
• Many varieties self sow and get into nooks and crannies needing to be weeded out when they become too rampant.

For more information particularly about potted plants from South Africa and America visit the Oxalis web site

At the end of June I received ‘J Parkers’ Autumn 2008 wholesale catalogue. They claim to be ‘the greatest name in Dutch Bulbs’ and I have bought from them for my garden several times with good results. Last season I bought several varieties of Muscari. Whilst the wholesale catalogue is priced without vat the prices and rates for larger quantities make for a reasonably economic priced deal if you spend the minimum order value. They supply many of the local retailers but also have a retail catalogue.

Grape Hyacinth - Muscari Varieties

• Other common names for Muscari include Starch Hyacinth or Feather Hyacinth.
• M. Plumosum the feather hyacinth have grown well and the flower heads are fuller and fluffy
• M. Azureum have soft blue flowers and I grew them in pots some of which made excellent gifts to friends and fellow gardeners.
• The third variety I bought were the porcelain blue M. Valerie Finnis and they were OK without being special.
• M Golden fragrance has yellow florets toped with purple before they are fully open. It is said to be very fragrant and I may try some this year.
• Another musk scented variety is M. Muscarium with purple to olive flower heads. They are a bit later flowering in May
• Ofter the name explains the flower shape or colour M Azureum album is pure white and M Mount Hood has a white top like a hood on the blue flowers whilst M lactifolium has a single broad leaf with a bi-coloured flower spike

Cultural tips for Grape Hyacinth

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Spring flowers are always well received as a way to herald the coming summer. Because spring bulb flowers are highly valued take the opportunity to extend the flowering season, especially in key pot locations.

How To Have Bulbs flowering for several weeks in Spring

• Choose sets of bulbs to flower at different times throughout the spring and place into aquatic baskets.
• For the  early flowering bulbs, plant these in a greenhouse to help their early flowering. Then plant the aquatic baskets into the target pot.
• As a general rule, bulbs need to be planted at a depth of 2-3 times the bulb height.
• After the first bunch of bulbs have finished flowering, you can remove the aquatic basket and place another set of bulbs into the ornamental pot. In this way you can have  3 -4 sets of flowering bulbs in the same ornamental pot throughout spring. This is an excellent way to give the impression you are an expert gardener.
• People will be impressed by the long flowering season of your pot, and they may not even realise how you are able to do it.

Ornamental onions are a branch of the allium family. It is hard to associate with the humble vegetable onion. But, the ornamental onion provides an excellent early season display of colour in the awkward gap between spring and the full flush of summer.

Ornamental onions also offer an architectural elegance standing tall over an herbaceous border. Even after they have finished flowering, the seed heads can provide months of interest in the garden.

Tips for Growing Alliums

• Alliums like a free draining soil in full or partial sun. They are not too fusy about the soil; it doesn’t need to be overly rich.
• They are naturally long lived and should be allowed to die back naturally so leaves can replace energy in bulbs.
• Unfortunately ornamental onions are particularly liked by the slugs. see: tips for dealing with slugs

Growing Alliums in Pots.

- Alliums make an excellent bulb for growing in patio pots. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Begonia tubers for super flower heads and potted plants

These plants can have massive blooms and or large numbers of blooms on the same plant. They can be used in pots and containers or used for bedding.

There are new varieties being launched regularly. This year Thompson Morgan are selling a scented variety in pastel shade

Morgan Thomas

2. Begonias fibrous roots for annual display

I like the red, white and pink flowers that grow on bedding begonias grown from seed. They have strong coloured leaves either dark red of lime green. They grow well in some shade and last until the first frost.

New varieties in the area include ‘Apricot Shades’ a trailing variety that I am trying for the first time this year.

3. Begonia Rex varieties with coloured or odd Shaped Leaves.

These display plants are grown for the leaf shape, texture and colour. They are used for Houseplants in the conservatory, greenhouse or home. There is often a number of colours mixed in swirls to create an individual looking plant that is very distinctive.

online begonias

• Begonia - ‘non stop flowering’ Seeds at Unwins

I have only just started my Dahlias in to growth. It is too clod to plant them out in the garden as yet so I have started to get them going in pots in the greenhouse.

I planted the tubers in pots big enough to hold the tuber easily and covered with potting compost. After a good watering I left them under the bench in the greenhouse. Within two to three weeks I expect to see the first shoots poking out of the compost and begining to green up. Another month will have to go by before all danger of frost will have disappeared in the North so it will be the end of May when I knock them out of the pots and they go into their final planting position

Tips For Good Dahlias

• Choose strong varieties
• Dahlias like plenty of space to grow so space them well.
• Dahlias need water and are hungry feeders so give them rotted compost in the hole before planting.
• Through summer give them water containing a high potash based feed and an occasional foliar feed through leaves
• Dahlias can grow 3 - 4 foot tall and need some support. £ or 4 canes or a proprietary wire support is appropriate.
• Deadhead the plants regularly and they will flower until the first frost
• Dahlias are good for cutting but I find them short lived in the vase but thats just me preferring flowers in the garden.
• Dahlias can be left in the ground over winter and subject to a very late frost will survive -give them a deep winter mulch when you cut them back after the leaves have been blackened by the first frost.
• Digging up dahlias and keeping the tubers gives you chance to dived the plants or take cuttings from stock started into growth early in the year. If you want to bulk up stock of one plant start them into growth in wet compost in the warmth in February - when shoots are 2″ or more take them as cuttings and give them warmth at the roots.
• Varieties to try D. ‘David Howard’ AGM Orange-bronze flowers from August to October Height 3′. Spread 2″6′. D ‘Chat Noir’ 4′ semi cactus D. ‘Jamaica’ Red and White stripes.

• Or Dinner plate variety Thompson Morgans D. ‘Karma Lagoon’ see below

http://plants.thompson-morgan.com/product/84300/1

Habranthus is a genus in the Amaryllidaceae family with species from Central and South America extending into southern North America. They have narrow, linear or strap-shaped leaves. Their flowers are very similar to Zephyranthes and both are called rain lilies.

This variety of Habranthus is flowering in late Summer (sept) and offers a delicate touch to colour with minimum fuss. Habranthus bulbs are quite hardy in the UK.