Autumn Flowering Bulbs

Many fabulous plants reach their prime in autumn – bulbs included. Begonias and Dahlias start flowering in summer and will continue long into the autumn. Bergenia (Elephant Ears) are evergreen perennials with wonderful, large cabbage-like leaves producing erect clusters of red, white or pinky-purple bell-shaped flowers on 25-30cm erect stalks in summer, into the autumn. Dahlias are the highlight of the late summer and autumn garden, well-loved for their long flowering period and eye-catching blooms in a rainbow of colours. Crocosmias grow from corms rather than true bulbs. These reliable, long-flowering border perennials producing beautiful, arching sprays of funnel-shaped flowers from mid to late summer in bold, fiery sunrise shades of yellow, red and orange. Bulbs store their energy and nutrients below ground at the end of the growing season. They need a free draining soil to make sure they don’t rot - on heavy clay soils incorporate two buckets of coarse sand per square metre. Plant in individual holes for each bulb or a trench if you’re planting many bulbs in one go. See our complete guide to flower bulbs or article on how to plant bulbs for more details.