Summer bulbs delight

Plant a variety now for months of colour, says Ruth

- Ruth Hayes

THERE is a bulb, tuber, corm or rhizome for every season, but those that flower from late spring through summer and right into autumn are the most glorious.

Think alliums, dahlias, lilies, freesias, canna lilies, ranunculus, Mirabilis jalapa, crocosmia and tuberosa, not to mention autumn-flowering nerines. Phew!

They combine exotic, vibrant colours with interesting foliage and a generous nature that means that many varieties are as happy in containers as they are in the ground.

Planted now, they should flower this year and then mature and multiply as the years pass, creating ever-better displays of colour and interest.

Whether you buy your bulbs online, from garden centres or on impulse as part of the supermarket run, you will be spoilt for choice and may find your eye caught by something new and exotic.