episode 89 | show notes & advice
episode description
In this week’s episode, Sarah and Arthur discuss their inspiration for creating sensational bulb lasagnes for pots and containers in time for next spring.
A brilliant method to encourage a succession of glorious colour and form in any garden, bulb lasagnes are simple to assemble and an excellent opportunity to get creative.
Sarah and Arthur take time to share the bulb combinations they’ve loved in the past, the mashups they are trialling next, and why the system is so effective in guaranteeing a gorgeous spring garden.
in this episode, discover .....
Top tips for designing your own bulb lasagne
Why now is the perfect time to start planting
Ideal depths for impressive results
The best bulbs for visiting pollinators
feeling inspired?
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advice sheet
Sarah’s top tips for a perfect bulb lasagne
In the oast garden path
Sarah recommends a top layer of bright bulbs that will create a stunning display of spring colour right down the garden path.
Top layer:
- Alternate, Iris Reticulata and Crocus ‘Flower Record’ at two inches deep
- Overplant with plugs of salad leaves. Mizuna ‘Red Knight’ and Mustard ‘Red Frills’ work well
- Alternatively, try Mizuna and Parsley ‘Gigante di Napoli’
Middle layer:
- White petticoat – a robust grower which resembles a ballet dancer on Swan Lake
- Narcissus ‘Xit’ – A beautiful and delicate scented narcissus
Bottom layer:
- Tulip ‘Brown Sugar’ – the tallest variety within the lasagne. Great scent and flowers early
- Tulip ‘La Belle Epoque’- a peony-flowered tulip, the colour of milky coffee
- Tulip ‘Ridgedale’ – copper over crimson. Flowers that last and last
Sarah explains that ‘Brown Sugar’ should bloom quickly through the narcissus and salad leaves. Don’t forget to deadhead.
This will leave the lovely duo of late flowering and delicate tulips ‘La Belle Epoque’ and ‘Ridgedale’ - a lovely combination.
Layer these down in the compost with 4-5 cm lightly covering the bulbs, ready for the next layer.
For a brightly coloured display
Great contrast of bright and vivid blue forget-me-nots, with shorter tulips to follow and tall, whooper tulips to finish. A Buckingham Palace classic.
Top layer:
- Forget-me-not – a great fizzy blue
Middle layer:
- Tulip ‘Amazing Parrot’ – bright and colourful. Flowers long and late
Bottom layer:
- Tulip ‘Green Wave’ - a splash of white, but mainly pink and green
Sarah’s favourite bulbs for layering:
Shop Sarah's favourites for layering
Arthur’s spring bulb lasagne recipe:
Top layer:
- Crocus ‘Orange monarch’ – totally irresistible
- Kale ‘Redbore’ – lovely combination of orange and seaweed purple leaf of the kale
Middle layer:
- Hyacinths ‘Woodstock’ – great perennial bulbs and worth the investment
Bottom layer:
- Tulip ‘Artist’ – great height for a pot and a good anchor for the tulip combination
- Tulip ‘Palmyra’ – peony like and deep claret in colour
- Tulip ‘Black Parrot’ – starts green and then turns purple from outer edges, inwards. Great from late April. Lovely succession of colour and height.
Arthur’s ‘purple and orange’ combination:
- Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ – a great pot topper
- Tulip ‘Sarah Raven’ – Gorgeous burgundy colour
- Tulip ‘Request’ – lively blood orange
- Tulip ‘Ballerina’ – a Perch Hill classic.
Arthur suggests planting 11 of each bulb, as the pot is for visual, not for cutting. He also recommends creating a delicate layering system, so the geum isn’t overcrowded and lifted out.
Arthur’s favourites:
Shop Arthur's favourites for layering
how to design your own bulb lasagne recipe
A quick and easy way to visualise your pots and what they will look like in your garden…
- Find some time at the weekend or evening and get out lots of old catalogues
- Cut out the pictures of bulbs that you like the best
- Draw lots of black ink pots on a piece of paper and lay the bulbs out in different combinations
- Make sure the colours work nicely for your taste, also think about heights, and the seasons too
Alternatively, shop Sarah’s pre-selected bulb collections.
