Spring bulbs don't just provide us with a burst of colour to remind us that summer is on its way. They provide insects with nectar, which is essential for feeding them up again...
I’m going to plant my bulbs earlier this year, to avoid disturbing any hibernating creatures in colder weather. I've just bought 20 winter aconites, 20 Nectaroscordum siculum, and the Gardeners’ World magazine offers: 100 free alliums and 160 spring bulbs. I've no idea where they're all going to go.
Last year's spring bulb display went a bit wrong. In March my garden was a muddy building site and the daffodils I grew in pots looked a bit out of place. When I planted my containers of alliums and crocus I didn’t realise my garden didn’t get any sun until late-May, so the alliums flopped over (they can develop weak stems and flop if grown in shade) and the crocus flowers didn’t open. At least this year I know the alliums will flop so I can plant them in large drifts to dance, drunkenly around my borders. I've given up on the crocus, they like the sun too much. I'll plant them in a sunny patch of grass in my flat's communal gardens instead.
Spring bulbs don't just provide us with a burst of colour to remind us that summer is on its way. They provide insects with nectar, which is essential for feeding them up again after their long winter sleep. There are several spring bulbs which provide food for insects: snowdrop, winter aconite, snake's head fritillary, crocus, grape hyacinth and allium, to name a few. The wonderfully named hairy-footed flower bee is particularly fond of grape hyacinths.
Last year’s late arrival of spring was hazardous for many insects, especially some bumblebee queens, which woke to find nothing in flower but the hardiest of daffodils (which aren’t their first choice of spring nectar). Walking around the local park, I’d find buff-tailed bumblebee queens clinging to unopened crocus blooms, willing them to flower so they could have their first taste of nectar. In a good year, when crocuses open in plenty of time, a large swathe of them will buzz with the sound of bumblebees splashing about in pools of pollen. The best thing about crocus flowers is that they close at night and reopen in the morning, providing bumblebee queens with the perfect overnight accommodation prior to finding a nest. It's a shame I can't grow them in my garden, but avoids the temptation of getting up early to see if any bees are snoozing in the flowers as they open.
I’m aiming to have something in bloom for passing insects from January, starting with winter aconites and snowdrops, moving to snake’s head fritillary and grape hyacinth. Then, for me, I’m growing my favourite daffodil: ‘Minnow’.
What bulbs will you be planting this year?
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