Growing Guides

One rule covers almost every bulb: plant it three times as deep as it is tall. Here is the chart, plus the exceptions that catch people out.

Bulbs you lift or buy early need cool, dark, dry and ventilated storage. Get those four right and they will still be firm at planting time.

Lycoris sends up a bare stem of flowers with no leaves in sight, then disappears for months. Here is how to plant and time it so it blooms reliably.

Bearded iris are planted shallow, with the rhizome half above the soil. Get that one detail right and they flower for years with almost no care.

Amaryllis in winter, tulips in autumn, lilies in spring. A month-by-month guide to planting every flower bulb, with depth, spacing and what to do if you miss the window.

Desert rose fails for three reasons: too much water, too little light, or a pot that holds water. Get those right and it flowers every summer for decades.

Plant lily bulbs at almost any time of year and they flower within one season. Depth, spacing, feeding, staking and the one mistake that stops them flowering again.

Green leaves but no flowers? Nine times out of ten it is one of four things — and all of them are fixable before next season.

Red, burgundy, cream, striped, green-white — amaryllis comes in more colours than most people realise. Here is what each one looks like in flower, and which to pick for your room.

A pot, a windowsill and one watering a week — that is all an amaryllis needs to flower in six to eight weeks. Here is the exact sequence, week by week.