2 weeks Ago By Matt Nixson
The ITV Love Your Garden star recommends grating an ordinary bar of hand soap over the top of your bulb before covering it up with earth. Now is the ideal time for planting for next spring, before the soil freezes, but many gardeners have complained of squirrels unearthing them to eat. “Use a cheese grater to layer shavings from a bar of soap around plants vulnerable to attack by squirrels,” says David.
“The smell and the taste of the soap will put off the naughty creatures but won't do the plants themselves any harm.” The TV gardening expert says there’s still just time to plant bulbs before the soil freezes for the winter. “Doing so will help them develop a small root system before it gets really cold, which allows them to flower earlier than other plants,” he explains.
“Bulbs are energy powerhouses that bloom year after year. They store the energy like a battery over winter then erupt into flower in spring. “They are foolproof plants – hardly anything can go wrong with them.
Plant them too deep, too shallow or even sideways and they will almost certainly still flower come spring. They are also a great investment. If cared for, they will spread and give you more plants and flowers every year.
” Squirrels aside, David’s top tips for happy bulbs are: Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil – the only thing bulbs can't stand is excess water as it makes them rot. Most like to be planted two to three times as deep as they are tall. Once you have dug your hole, line the base with a layer of grit or sand.
Plant the bulb using the light bulb technique – push and twist it into the soil as if you're sticking a bayonet bulb into your light fitting. If you simply place the bulb in the hole without any pressure, you could leave a gap where rainwater will collect and start to rot away at it. Make sure you plant the bulb the right way up.
If in doubt, plant sideways. It will still work that way. Space the bulbs about two widths apart for optimum spread to give their foliage space.
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