Planting Bulbs in Time for Christmas Flowers
Whether you’re growing them for centrepieces and vases around the home, or to give as gifts, there are some flowers that you can plant now and grow in time for Christmas!
Timing is everything if you want to have flowers blooming in time for Christmas.
Hyacinths are perfect for planting towards the end of September or perhaps later – it depends on the type of Hyacinth. For example, the Pink Pearl variety needs around 10 weeks of cool growing condition then 22 days indoor to flower – plant these around 24th September. Varieties like Anna Marie only need 8 weeks in cool conditions, then 18 days inside to flower. |
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A good flower to plant in October is Hippeastrum (or Amaryllis) – these take around 10 weeks to flower from being planted.
Different plants thrive in different soils, so you need to know whether the soil is acid or alkaline- chemistry lesson time! You may remember from school that the soil pH is a number that describes how acid or alkaline your soil is. A PH of 7.0 is considered neutral – anything lower than this is acidic, anything above is alkaline. |
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Planting bulbs in containers can be a perfect solution if you’re short of space, or colourful pots can add some decoration even before the bulbs have flowered! Make sure any containers you use have good drainage – if not use bulb fibre, or a compost with an open texture that is moisture retentive but still free-draining
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If you’re looking to grow Hyacinths for Christmas an alternative method is to grow in a bulb vase. The bulb should be slightly smaller in diameter than the vase so that it sits snugly in the vase. Simply fill the vase with water up to the neck and then place the bulb in the top. The water level should be just below the bottom of the bulb. The plant can then be treated in the same way as potted hyacinths (below)
After being planted your bulbs need a period of time in a cool, dark environment – a garden shed, garage or basement is perfect – they need to be away from bright light. |
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When roots that have developed from your bulbs are around 4-5cm long, your flowers are ready to come inside for the rest of their maturation.
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If they’re stored outside, slugs and snails will make a beeline for your bulbs to munch on them, so be prepared. We stock a range of slug busting solutions – our copper slug tape can be stuck around pots to stop the slugs climbing up, and the Slug and Snail Shocka mats add a larger copper barrier. Slug Gone Pellets are made of biodegradable sheep’s wool that pulls the slime off the slug’s foot so they are encouraged to go somewhere else, while Nemaslug is a living organism that preys on slugs. |
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