How to plant winter iris bulbs

Plant up the pots in October and leave them outside until the leaf tips start to poke through the soil. Then bring them indoors to speed up the flowering process – you'll have blooms in the depths of winter.

Follow our guide to planting winter-flowering irises, below.

You Will Need

• Iris reticulata
• Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
• Horticultural grit
• Small pots
• Plant labels

Step 1

Mix peat-free multi-purpose compost with grit and part-fill your pots.

Step 2

Space the bulbs so that they don't touch. They can be planted at the rate of six or seven bulbs to a 10cm pot, or rather more in wider pots or pans. Terracotta shows them off better than plastic pots.

Step 3

Cover with 5cm of compost and lightly firm it around the bulbs. In order to prevent mud splashing, and to display the flowers to the best effect, a 1cm layer of sharp grit should be added on top.

Step 4

Label each pot with its individual variety. That way you can be sure of knowing exactly what you are looking at when the plants are in flower, and confident when ordering more of your favourites.

Alan's top five early irises

• Katharine Hodgkin – intricate patterns of white, yellow and blue
• J. S Dijt – rich purple with yellow and white on the throat
• Iris danfordiae – yellow and brown; opens more fully under cover
• 'Cantab' – lovely light blue shade, marked with yellow and white
• 'Alida' – generous blue blooms with yellow and white markings