Early spring bulbs in the Orchard

Early Spring Bulbs in the Orchard

Spring bulbs bring some of the first colour and joy of the year. In this lesson I'll show you how to use them in long grass, Orchard or meadow areas to achieve a beautiful naturalistic effect.

• Flowering in the Orchard begins early with snowdrops, blackthorn blossom and primroses. The sequence of flowering bulbs starts early with Leucojum, then daffodils.
• The mixture of daffodils elongates their flowering season, as they flower at different times (third week of February to mid-May, finishing with pheasant's eye).
• Long grass that isn't cut is perfect for growing daffodils, as this lets the daffodils bloom and die back naturally when they've finished.

Balancing Bulbs and Wildflowers

• To encourage wildflowers in other areas without bulbs, we sow yellow rattle, a semi-parasitic plant that weakens grass.
• Then we spread 'green hay' - hay rich in wildflower seed that we've collected nearby.
• Within 5-6 years there's a great mix of wildflowers, including green-winged orchids.
• We let it grow until July, cut it down then and keep it short until autumn.

Daffodil Maintenance

• Deadhead spent flowers - we snap off the head and leave the stem.
• Lift and separate crowded bulbs if flowering dwindles (daffodil blindness) - we then mark during flowering to lift later.
• If we find there are any sparse areas, we'll mark these to make sure we add more daffodils for next year.

Flowers in the Orchard

• Our mix of bulbs in the Orchard includes snakeshead fritillary, crocuses, mainly Crocus tomasinianus, Leucojum, and Narcissi bulbicodium in a wetter area.
• We mow paths through the long grass to allow people to walk through.
• You can keep the paths the same through the year or move them to make the most of different areas of interest through the season.

"Always looking ahead and planning is one of the secrets to successful gardening."

Further Reading

• RHS guide to creating wildflower meadows
• RHS guide to daffodil blindness

Plant Directory

Anacamptis morio

Green-winged orchid

Hardy tuberous perennial

Orchidaceae

Anthriscus sylvestris

Cow parsley

Hardy, short-lived herbaceous perennial or sometimes biennial

Apiaceae

Fritillaria meleagris

Snake's head fritillary

Hardy bulbous perennial

Liliaceae

Galanthus species and cultivars

Snowdrops

Hardy bulbous perennials

Amaryllidaceae

Leucojum aestivum

Summer snowflake

Hardy bulbous perennial

Amaryllidaceae

Narcissus obvallaris

Tenby daffodil

Hardy bulbous perennial

Amaryllidaceae

Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus

Old pheasant's eye daffodil

Hardy bulbous perennial

Amaryllidaceae

Narcissus pseudonarcissus 'Lobularis'

Lent lily daffodil

Hardy bulbous perennial

Amaryllidaceae

Primula vulgaris

Primrose

Hardy semi-evergreen perennial

Primulaceae

Prunus spinosa

Blackthorn

Hardy deciduous small tree

Rosaceae

Pyrus communis cultivars

Pears

Hardy deciduous trees

Rosaceae

Pyrus communis 'Winnal's Longdon'

'Winnal's Longdon' pear

Hardy deciduous tree

Rosaceae

Rhinanthus minor

Yellow rattle

Hardy annual

Orobanchaceae

Silene dioica

Red campion

Hardy semi-evergreen perennial

Caryophyllaceae

Glossary

Cultivar

A named cultivated variety of a plant species, presented in single quotation marks, e.g. Narcissus pseudonarcissus 'Lobularis'.

Semi-parasitic

A plant that is partially parasitic on the roots or shoots of another plant but is still able to carry out photosynthesis to produce its own food.

Spur

A short side shoot, like a compressed stem and usually less than 6 inches long, that produces a tree's fruiting buds.

Sward

An area covered with grass.