New gardener -flowering bulbs questions..
Hi New gardener here. I am looking to do up some sections of our North facing drive. After my earlier regarding re plant (I got acer palmatum, Hebe and another one which I can't remember name off). e, I am now looking to add some colour in between these. 1. Do these bulbs only survive one season? Do I need to remove them at end of summer or they automatically die down? 2. Any summer/autumn n flowering bulbs which behave like tulips in that they grow automatically and which can be left outside over winter.... Ta.
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Spring flowering bulbs will return each year Xyz. Do you just have a few specimen shrubs or do you have a fully planted border? Bulbs work best planted in and around other shrubs and perennials in a mixed border or bed.
Tulips are the least successful because they need sharp drainage and tend to fade after a couple of years. They won't be so happy in a north facing situation either unless you have enough sun getting to them in spring and summer. Snowdrops and daffs/narcissus will be fine for that aspect and also things like anemone blanda. Crocus will also be fine but they don't open so much in less sun. I don't mind that - I have plenty in a north facing border.
For summer and autumn it's a bit trickier and I can't think of anything other than Colchicum, but they wouldn't look right for that situation - I feel they need some other low level planting round them. You could try lilies, but again, they look best with other perennials or lower growing shrubs to complement them.
You could simply plant some lower growing evergreens which will need very little attention. Pachysandra is excellent in shady areas. You'll get lots of suggestions for that type of planting and you can add bulbs into that too
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
For the more tricker other part, I have one acer, and two hebes. I am going to slowly build it up so eventually it is mixture of shrubs and flowers. Ta.
I wouldn't bother to put lilies in the north facing border, they like sunshine and well drained soil, neigh of which you will have there.
without the sun, the border will always be damp, lilies don't like that.
Although not bulbs, Hellebores like the damp shade and will just get bigger every year, very trouble free usually as well., a few daffs popping up between look nice.
They'll be fine planted just now - the foliage will look attractive over the summer - dig some organic matter into the soil and give them a mulch with the same after planting. They'll be very happy.
You could also consider some Lamium - silver leaves with pink or purplish flowers in the summer - they're quite happy in semi-shade and they look after themselves and come back year after year, spreading to form a carpet of silver and green leaves.
In the autumn you could plant some Chionodoxa or Puschkinia bulbs. Both of these have pretty blue flowers in the early spring and will come back year after year. They'll be happy growing among the hellebores and lamiums and don't need any looking after
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have tete a tete daffodils, violets, muscari, scilla, crocus, snowdrops, polyanthus, dog toothed violets and hellebores that do well if you're looking for suggestions.