Grow Your Own Magazine

We got some tulip bulbs and some allium from B&Q at the weekend

We want to convert an old veg bed into a tulip bed (there are no flowers in the back garden and I want some colour there)

The back of the packet tells me how deep to plant them, but is there a minimum distance away from each other?

Also, should I dig in compost before we plant? The bed is quite prone to weeds etc. Once planted, is it worth covering the bed with tarp etc until the spring?

Thanks

Shelley
x

Alliums need to be in as soon as possible as they grow their leaves over Winter and lose them as they flower in Spring/early Summer. I assume you have bought the tall growing types??
The tulips do not need to be planted until as late as early December.
The richer the soil the better the bulbs will perform in subsequent years, so dig it in.
There is no point covering the soil after planting as the Alliums will appear soon afterwards and all of them need the stimulus of Winter rain and cold to initiate growth. Sorry but once the bulbs appear, hand weeding is the best way to go about it.