Summer bulbs for the win

Although it may feel like winter hasn't quite left the building, spring really is galloping towards us, and that means it's time to think about summer-flowering bulbs. I love all bulbs, most of them give great value for money, flowering for a long period, with a small footprint, allowing other plants to grow and develop around them, and many of them will come back year after year. I am a particular fan of dahlias, as they have such splendid colour, and come in so many different forms, from the delicate little pompoms to the blowsy variants with huge flowers looking like hats at the races. You will see lots of dahlias in store right now, either sold as dried tubers, or potted up and already growing as plants. If you buy them as tubers, don't take the 'legs' off, as these are the powerhouses of growth for this year. Plant them with the old stem upright, on the top, and keep them in a frost-free spot until mid-May. If you're buying a tall variety, plan ahead with the stakes or supports and put them in at the same time as you plant your dahlia outside. It's much easier to do it straight away than to wait until the plant is already toppling over. Keep an eye out for slugs at the start, as they love tender dahlia shoots. Keep them mulched and well watered over the summer and enjoy months of blooms right up until the first frosts. The traditional approach is to lift dahlia tubers once the foliage has been frosted, but bulb expert Pontus Wallsten, locally has had good results with planting them deeply, and stopping them getting too wet over the winter by protecting them upturned flower pots and pine branches.