A bulb lasagne - part 6: kale and cardoon toppers

A Bulb Lasagne - Part 6: Kale & Cardoon Toppers

To add the finishing touches to your bulb lasagne, Arthur shows you how he layers kale and cardoons and encourages you to do the same.

Arthur adds the cardoon first, loosening the root ball so any tulips that grow there can thrive. This is the reason he included little in the centre of the pot in the other layers.

He places the cardoon in a tiny hollow in the middle of the pot. Any plant you use needs to be firmly rooted. This will prevent it from being lifted out of the soil in the event of a frost.

Kale

Kale 'Redbor' grows rapidly. Seven different colours are going to be placed around the edge of the pot. These will be spaced approximately seven inches apart.

Reusing Plants from the Summer Show

You can reuse parts of the summer display. Arthur reused the Panicum elegans 'Frosted Explosion'. It helps to give the frost some shagginess and stops it from looking so tame. By letting things self-seed and hang around the place, you're more likely to get natural self-seeding.

Plant Directory

• Cardoon
• Kale 'Redbor'
• Panicum elegans 'Frosted Explosion'