Flashy BULBS

Plant now for a glowing display of summer flowers

- CHRIS MORLEY

Bright beauties

There’s a huge choice of summer-flowering bulbs on offer, and now’s the time to plan what you need to bring a splash of exciting colour to the garden, patio or balcony. As well as bulbs (such as lilies), we’re talking corms (freesias), rhizomes (agapanthus) and tubers (begonias). Hardy bulbs, like lilies, can be planted out now but others are tender, so pot them up and keep indoors (a sunny porch is fine) until frosts are well and truly over.

Perfumed partners

Lilies and freesias will make a patio as fragrant as a perfume counter. Oriental lilies have the strongest scent but need acid soil, so if your soil doesn’t suit, grow them in containers filled with ericaceous compost.

• Oriental lily ‘Casa Blanca’ has delicious, jasmine-scented white flowers in July and reaches 1.5m. For cut flowers, a Roselily type is a smart choice, as its pink flowers have no sticky yellow pollen.