Fragrant Flowering Bulbs For The Garden and The Home

 

 

Take a walk in the park as the sun is rising and see the mist lifting from the grass. Trees are starting to bud and show their green freckles against the blue sky. The air is still crisp and fresh, the sun starts to be strong enough to warm up the skin. Yes, Spring has arrived and with the new season, dainty flowers are pointing out amongst the drops of morning dew.

These delicate blooms were planted in the Autumn. One of the last jobs of the year before cleaning and putting away the gardening tools and enjoy a well-deserved rest in Winter. There is something quite magical about the bulb planting, you cannot see the result until they pop out and depending on the weather, your whole design might look different from one year to another. Maybe you will have your daffodils at the same time as your crocus or will they come late to meet your Camassias. The element of surprise is all part of the enchantment.

Add a little more magic with fragrant flowers and vibrant colours and make spring a season to remember.

 

Hyacinth

Certainly, one of the most obvious choices when it comes to perfume. Grown indoor or outdoor, they exhale a strong perfume that ravishes the senses. They are also excellent cut flowers and make luxurious bouquets.

When growing indoor for flowers in December, plant your bulbs with the top of the bulb visible. You would have chosen prepared varieties (meaning that they have received a cold treatment so that they think that the winter is over). Keep them in the dark until the foliage is 1-2 inches high and then bring them back to a bright room. It will still take several weeks to flower. Overall, it takes about 10-12 weeks for these to flowers from planting time.

Outdoor, in the borders, plant them about 10 cm deep. They will flower in March/April.

NB: Make sure to wear gloves when handling hyacinth bulbs as they are irritating for the skin.

 

Freesia

Used in some of the most expensive floral perfumes, the freesia’s spicy-sweet scent is a delight you cannot get enough of. These exotic blooms are from South Africa and will not survive frosty conditions, but you can grow them indoor nearly all year-round. You would wait until April to plant them out. 15 degrees is the ideal temperature for freesias.

The key is the compost. They need to be kept moist during the growing season but may rot in waterlogged soil so make sure to use a well-drained compost with added grit if necessary.

Freesias make excellent flowers but if you want to keep them in pots, staking might be needed to prevent flopping.

 

Lily of the valley

This all-time favourite is easy to grow and perfect in woodland settings where its pure white, nodding bells, brighten up the forest floor. They are, therefore, ideal for underplanting shrubs or simply as a ground cover in shaded borders. These are crowns, rather than bulbs.

You can plant them in the ground directly however, you would get better results by starting them in pots. Soak them first, for 30 mins and pot them up individually. Keep them in a cool greenhouse, ideally, and water regularly. Once the roots fill out the pots, they are ready to be planted outside.

 

Daffodils

No flower says it's spring more than heirloom daffodils with their golden yellow blooms. Yet, there are hundreds of varieties: white, cream, apricot tinged, with large blooms, reversed petals or double flowers. Most are unscented but a few exquisite varieties will charm you with their intoxicating fragrance like ‘Bridal Crown’. This multi-headed variety has it all with its small double flowers, cream with yellow accents and a sweet scent. ‘Pheasant’s eye’ may look more modest but, still charming with its white petals surrounding a bright yellow cup with a dark orange rim.

Indoor, the ‘Paperwhite’ is ravishing. This multi-headed variety produces large clusters of small, white flowers during the winter months. You would plant daffodils about 10 cm deep in general, but you can grow these with just a little compost for their roots to sit in. Note that these paperwhites are not frost-hardy and would require protection if planted outside.

 

 

Tulips

As for tulips, only a few varieties are scented but they well are worth a try. ‘Shogun’, for example, produces up to 6 tangerine flowers on one stem. This short variety is also great for naturalising in lawns or at the front of the border as it is perfectly hardy and reliable.

‘Ballerina’ is another tulip in shades of orange with distinctive twisted petals giving it a swirling look. This fiery dancer boasts a delicate perfume, adding to its beauty. In softer tones, ‘Finola’ will remind you of fresh Peonies with its double, frilled flowers in white and pink. This short-lived perennial flowers later than its cousins above, on sturdy stems and is a perfect for pots or cut flowers.

From intoxicating perfume to delicate fragrance, enjoy the fresh scents of spring in your garden with flowering bulbs. They need little care and bring you great rewards!