Flowering bulbs that come back year after year

Gardening News & Inspiration | Inspiration, Tips & Advice | 4 minutes of reading | By

It’s hard to beat the anticipation and excitement of the spring-time garden. The earliest shoots will burst through the winter gloom and herald the start of the season, beginning a tandem of colour and fragrance. With a little planning, you can enjoy all of this with low-maintenance flowering bulbs that return year after year. By following a few simple steps and choosing the right varieties, you can enjoy many years of fabulous, low maintenance floral displays.

Growing tips

Here are our top tips before selecting your flowering favourites:

  1. Consider the space where you want to plant the bulbs: Is it sunny or shady? Is the soil heavy or stony? Keeping these simple requirements in mind will help you chose flowering varieties that thrive in your garden.
  2. Take a moment to follow the guidance on the bulb packet: Things such as planting depths help ensure that the bulbs you plant successfully flower.
  3. Avoid the temptation to cut back the foliage too soon: Leaving the leaves on your flowers for longer allows the bulb to gather and store energy, so it is ready to put on a fabulous display for next year.
  4. Leave these low-maintenance beauties alone as much as possible: Once planted try to avoid the temptation to move your bulbs around. Try finding a spot where they can be planted and left alone as much as possible.

Our favourite flowering bulbs for effortless displays

Plant a drift of daffodils, a cluster of crocuses or a tapestry of tulips. Whatever you decide, these varieties will illuminate beds and borders, captivate in containers and create lustrous, low maintenance spaces through lawns and gravel pathways. Here are our top picks:

Crocuses

Flowering time: February, March
Soil: Gritty, moderately fertile soil
Sunlight: Full sun, dappled shade

An early spring-flowering favourite, you can’t go wrong with the charm of a crocus. Available in classic purple, exotic orange, brilliant white and much more, they will effortlessly multiply, adding colour to shadier spaces. Discover crocuses

Irises

Flowering time: February, March
Soil: Moist but free draining
Sunlight: Full sun

Early flowering Iris Reticulata varieties are some of the most popular and it’s easy to see why. With curved petals and wonderful colouring, it has an exotic feel, while being surprisingly robust and returning year after year. Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ and Iris ‘Gordon’ are two striking varieties, but you can explore our full range here.

Daffodils

Flowering time: February, March, April, May
Soil: Moist but free draining
Sunlight: Full sun, dappled shade

A drift of delightful daffodils is an incredible sight and it is virtually effortless to achieve. With a vast array to choose from, in a diverse mix of shapes, sizes and colours, they will reliably return for many years. With beautiful nodding heads and subtle fragrance, we love the dwarf blooms on ‘Tête-à-tête’, the vibrancy of ‘February Gold’ and the soft hues of ‘Ice Follies’. Find your favourites, explore daffodils here.

Hyacinths

Flowering time: March, April, May
Soil: Moist but free draining
Sunlight: Full sun

With an incredible exotic appearance and a magnificent perfume, Hyacinths are surprisingly low maintenance and reliable to grow. They will return year after year in your garden and make an exquisite cut flower to admire around the home. We love Hyacinth ‘Woodstock’ and Hyacinth ‘Carnegie’, but you can explore our full range here.

Tulips

Flowering time: March, April, May
Soil: Moist but free draining
Sunlight: Full sun

A springtime favourite, Tulips will create an effortless carpet of colour. The exotic-looking hybrid varieties tend to be more annual in nature, but those closer to their natural and wild state, will return and spread colour for years to come.  Tulip ‘Sylvestris’, ‘Little Princess’, ‘Little Beauty’ and ‘Lilac Wonder’ are all examples of low-maintenance and naturalising tulips. Find your perfect tulip.

Alliums

Flowering time: May, June
Soil: Nutrient-rich, moist but free draining
Sunlight: Full sun

Magnificent when in full flower in spring, the dried seed heads continue to add structure and interest well into the summer. Easy to grow, returning year after year, they are available in a surprising array of colours. From the classic appeal of a purple allium to the riotous ‘Red Mohican’ and the dream-like white of ‘Graceful Beauty’. Explore our amazing alliums.

For further inspiration, explore our full collection of flowering bulbs here.

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