A gardening expert has disclosed a “little secret” he claims will bring you “incredible joy” in your patch this winter.
Four-time Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist Adam Woolcott say there is still time to plant one particular bulb during the autumn should you wish to brighten your patch during the colder months. Taking to TikTok, he revealed in a video the secret in question is Chionodoxa – a perennial flowering plant also known as Glory of the Snow.
“Chionodoxa bulbs – it’s not that easy to say, but these little bulbs pack a huge punch,” Adam explained. “They come up in late winter in blue, pink and white and a pack of 60 will lift your heart when everything is bleak, dark and miserable.”
Continuing to flower in early spring too, Adam enthused: “These can smother your lawn, your beds, borders, containers and rockeries – and even your hanging baskets with multiple shades of those colours.”
The “tough and hardy” nature of Chionodoxa ensures they will ensure they come back year after year too and multiply, according to the expert. Adam closed: “They’ll banish the winter blues, light up your garden and lead you towards spring and warmer, longer and brighter days.”
Writing in response to questions from his followers, Adam noted the bulbs can be planted any time between September and November, while “precautions” should be taken in areas where squirrels visit as they have a tendency to extract them from the soil.
One TikTok user commented with their own suggestion: “It’s best not to plant in the lawn where they get rather lost… plant in the flower beds where they are spectacular.”
A second person gushed: “These are so adorable!” While a third individual penned: “I’m hoping they are tough, my gran’s got a very exposed lawn. The wind is very strong. Trying to add flowers is difficult and the gardeners destroyed all the alpines I planted!”
Adam reassured in reply: “They’re tough.”
When it comes to planting chionodoxa bulbs in autumn, the Gardeners World suggests doing so 5cm deep and 5-7.5cm apart – or approximately 15 bulbs per 30cm square.
They add: “Don’t mow or cut back plants that are growing in grass until the foliage has died back. This’ll give the chionodoxa a chance to self-seed and naturalise.
“You can collect seed from chionodoxa when ripe, to sow in pots and germinate in a cold frame. Seedlings may take a few years to flower. Alternatively you can take offsets from the bulbs in summer and pot up until ready to flower – this can also take a few years.”