Autumn Planting Bulbs & Plants

Fritillaria ‘Yellow Beauty’ brings a poised note to the spring garden: tall, upright stems carrying soft yellow, bell-shaped blooms above glossy green foliage. It is particularly handsome threaded through mixed borders, and equally at home naturalising in well-drained ground where it can settle in and return with quiet regularity.

• Colour & form: soft yellow, bell-shaped flowers with fresh green foliage
• Garden use: borders, naturalising, and cutting
• Season of interest: spring flowering (March–May)
• Bulb size: 18/20
• Hardiness: fully hardy

Plant in autumn and allow two seasons to properly establish; the resulting spires are wonderfully architectural among tulips, late daffodils, and early perennials.

Welcome the new gardening year with the quintessential harbinger of spring, the Common Snowdrop. Galanthus nivalis brings delicate beauty to the late winter garden when little else is stirring. Its nodding, milky-white bell-shaped flowers, each tipped with a distinctive green V-shape on the inner petals, are a truly welcome sight. Winner of the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit, this hardy little bulb is perfect for naturalising in lawns, underplanting deciduous trees, or creating enchanting drifts in woodland settings. For a classic winter display, pair them with the golden yellows of Winter Aconites or the rich purples of early Crocus.

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Blue Jacket' brings a wonderfully saturated note to early spring, with dense, fragrant spikes of deep blue, single bells. Each petal is neatly traced with a darker purple stripe, creating a poised, tailored look above fresh, rich green foliage.

Ideal for borders and pots alike, this is a compact hyacinth that looks particularly smart planted in generous drifts, or placed near paths and doorways where the perfume can be properly appreciated. It also makes an excellent cut flower for small, elegant arrangements.

• Colour: Deep blue with dark purple stripe
• Flower form: Bell-shaped, single blooms on sturdy spikes
• Scent: Fragrant
• Best for: Borders, pots and containers, cutting

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Blue Pearl' PBR is a decidedly elegant spring hyacinth, sending up dense, upright spires of waxy, bell-shaped flowers in a vivid blue-purple, each bloom subtly refined with paler edging. As the fragrance unfurls, it brings a welcome sense of occasion to early-season borders and pots alike.

Plant in autumn for a poised display in March and April. Particularly handsome threaded through underplanting, or arranged in generous drifts where the colour can read as a cool, confident ribbon through the garden.

• Colour: blue-purple with lighter blue margins
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: approx. 25cm
• Position: borders, containers, underplanting
• Character: fragrant, pollinator friendly

Please note: This variety is supplied as bulbs for planting. Protect container-grown bulbs from excess winter wet and hard frost.

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Blue Star' is a beautifully traditional spring hyacinth, prized for its dense, perfumed spires in a clear sky-blue, delicately traced with deeper blue veining. Rising neatly above fresh, strap-shaped foliage, it brings a poised, polished note to borders and containers alike.

Plant in autumn and allow the bulbs to settle through winter; come March and April, 'Blue Star' offers a refined flourish that sits particularly well beneath roses and shrubs, or arranged in pots by a doorway where its fragrance can be properly enjoyed.

• Colour: Blue-purple
• Flowering period: March–April
• Height: 25cm
• Best in: borders, pots and containers; sheltered spot

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Carnegie’ is a quietly luxurious white hyacinth, prized for its densely packed spring flower spike and beautifully clear fragrance. Neat, strap-like foliage keeps the planting looking polished, whether tucked into the front of a border or arranged in generous pots by the door.

Plant in autumn and look forward to a poised display in March and April—particularly elegant when paired with fresh greens and early spring pastels.

Why you’ll love it

• Pure white, bell-shaped florets held in a substantial spike
• Wonderfully scented for paths, doorways and terraces
• Equally at home in pots, borders, and beneath deciduous shrubs
• Fully hardy and easy to grow

Hyacinthus orientalis 'China Pink' is an impeccably mannered spring hyacinth, carrying dense, bell-shaped florets in a pale blush pink. Each compact spike rises above glossy, strap-like dark green leaves and brings that unmistakably rich hyacinth perfume—rather lovely by a path, at the doorstep, or in pots where the scent can be properly appreciated.

Plant in autumn for a poised display in early spring. The generous 14/15 bulb grade gives a satisfyingly full look in containers and makes an elegant underplanting beneath roses and shrubs.

• Colour: Pale blush pink
• Fragrance: Richly fragrant
• Perfect for: Pots & containers, borders, courtyard & city gardens
• Also suits: Underplanting roses & shrubs
• Pollinator friendly: Yes

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Delft Blue’ is a spring classic: neat, glossy green foliage topped with a well-filled spike of softly scented, mid-blue bells. It brings a calm, composed note to the front of the border and is especially charming in pots placed by the door, where the fragrance can be properly enjoyed.

• Colour: mid-blue with a gentle violet cast
• Fragrance: softly scented
• Best for: pots and containers, edging paths, and drift planting for a serene wash of colour
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy

Bulb size: 15/16. Plant in autumn for a polished display in March and April.

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Fondant' is a quietly luxurious spring hyacinth, bearing dense, upright spires of soft apple-blossom pink that fade with lovely subtlety towards the outer petals. Intensely fragrant and neatly poised above glaucous green foliage, it brings a refined finish to borders, pots by the door, and city courtyards where scent can be properly appreciated.

• Colour: Soft pink (Colour group: Pinks & Purples)
• Flower form: Bell-shaped blooms held in compact spikes
• Scent: Strongly fragrant
• Where to plant: Borders and containers; choose a sheltered spot for pots and protect from winter wet

Plant in autumn for flowering in early spring, then allow the foliage to die back naturally to feed next year’s display.

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Gipsy Queen’ is a beautifully composed spring hyacinth, prized for its richly scented, salmon-peach bloom. Each sturdy flower spike rises neatly above glossy green foliage, bringing a warm, flattering note to pots by the front door and crisp definition to the very front of the border.

Plant in autumn and allow the bulbs to settle into well-drained soil; come March and April, you’ll be rewarded with a polished display that feels both classic and quietly distinctive.

• Colour: Salmon peach
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 30cm
• Position: Front of border, containers
• Scent: Richly fragrant

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Jan Bos' is a wonderfully classic spring hyacinth, prized for its richly coloured flower spikes in deep rosy cerise and a beautifully strong perfume. Compact and poised at the front of a border, it is equally at home in smart pots by the door, where its fragrance can be properly enjoyed.

With glaucous green leaves and an upright habit, it also makes a refined cut flower—just a few stems bring instant polish to a small vase arrangement. Plant in autumn and look forward to an elegant flourish from March into April.

• Colour: Deep pink-red
• Fragrance: Highly scented
• Best for: Borders, containers and cutting
• Flowering: March–April

Hyacinthus 'Mixed' is a beautifully balanced assortment of spring hyacinths, chosen for their richly scented, densely packed flower spikes in a pleasing range of shades. Planted in generous drifts they lend the border a composed, well-dressed look; in pots, they bring a quietly luxurious fragrance to steps, terraces and the front door.

• Bulb size: 14/15 for sturdy, well-filled flowering
• Flowering: March to April
• Height: 25–40cm
• Ideal for: borders, containers and cut flowers

Each mix is supplied as assorted colours for a naturally varied display. For the most polished effect, plant in groups and repeat through your scheme, allowing the fragrance to do the talking.

Hyacinthus 'Multiflora Blue' is a rather refined take on the classic hyacinth: richly coloured, beautifully perfumed, and notably generous in bloom. This multiflowering selection sends up elegant blue spires that feel perfectly at home in smart pots by the door, or tucked into the front of borders where the scent can be properly appreciated.

Plant in autumn and look forward to a polished display in April. With a naturally tidy habit and dependable performance in Full-Sun or Partial Sun, it’s an easy choice for spring containers and mixed bulb plantings alike.

• Colour: Blue / Purple
• Flowering: April
• Scent: Fragrant
• Best for: Pots & containers, borders, and pollinator-friendly planting

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Pink Pearl’ is a spring-time classic with an unmistakably refined presence. Broad flower spikes in rich deep pink—softly edged with a paler blush—rise neatly above glossy green foliage, carrying a deliciously heady perfume that feels entirely at home by the front door, along a path, or in smart pots on the terrace.

Plant in autumn and let ‘Pink Pearl’ do the rest: a compact, upright hyacinth that brings poised colour to borders and containers, and a wonderfully scented addition to cut-flower posies indoors.

• Colour: Pink (Pinks & Purples)
• Fragrance: richly fragrant
• Best for: containers, borders & beds, and cutting
• Pollinator friendly: Yes

Hyacinthus orientalis 'White Pearl' is a quietly luxurious spring hyacinth, carrying dense, bell-shaped florets in a clear, creamy white. Its perfume is richly traditional—perfect in pots by the front door, and equally poised when woven through the front of a border.

For an elegant scheme, let it glow against evergreens and dark foliage, or soften it with gentle blues and pale pastels. It also makes a refined cut flower, bringing a little spring ceremony indoors.

Why we love it

• Classic white spires with a clean, polished look
• Richly scented—ideal close to paths, doorways and seating
• Excellent in containers, yet naturally at home in borders
• Pollinator friendly in spring

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Woodstock' brings a quietly dramatic note to early spring: densely packed, bell-shaped florets in a deep plum-purple, carried on sturdy stems above rich green foliage. The perfume is classic hyacinth—sweet, familiar, and wonderfully welcoming near a doorway or along a path.

Plant in autumn for a refined show in March and April. This variety is particularly handsome in pots (where its colour can be appreciated up close), yet equally poised threaded through borders in small drifts. The flower spikes also make excellent, fragrant cut stems for small indoor arrangements.

• Colour: Deep plum-purple
• Scent: Sweetly fragrant
• Style notes: Striking in containers; elegant in borders; excellent for cutting

Ipheion ‘Alberto Castillo’ is a quietly distinguished little starflower, prized for its crisp white, starry blooms, each petal finished with the most delicate hint of green at the centre. Emerging in late winter and carrying on through early spring, it makes a neat, light-green carpet that looks wonderfully composed in drifts.

Superb for naturalising through grass, threading beneath shrubs and roses, or bringing a fresh note to patio pots by the door. Fully hardy and notably unfussy, it’s an elegant way to lift the garden when the season still feels young.

• Flowering: February–April
• Height: 20cm
• Bulb size: 5/6cm
• Best for: naturalising, containers, underplanting

Please note: Deer resistance can vary by location and pressure; this variety is generally avoided, but cannot be guaranteed.

Ipheion uniflorum ‘Wisley Blue’ is a delightfully refined spring starflower, offering lilac-blue, starry blooms with a gentle fragrance. Sitting neatly above light green, strap-like foliage, it lends itself beautifully to informal drifts through borders, the gravel garden, and quietly charming containers near a doorway or terrace.

Compact and clump-forming, it is particularly well suited to underplanting beneath shrubs and at the woodland edge, where it will settle in and return reliably each year.

• Colour: Lilac-blue
• Flowering: February to April
• Height x spread: 10cm x 10cm
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy
• Position: Full-Sun or Partial Sun
• Soil: Well-drained loam, any pH
• Planting time: September to December
• Supplied as: Bulbs (5/6cm)

Iris × hollandica 'Blue Magic' is a refined Dutch iris, offering rich blue-violet blooms neatly finished with a golden marking. It’s a quietly dependable spring bulb—excellent in sunny borders, smart in pots, and particularly good for cutting, where the clean, architectural lines sit beautifully in a vase.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle into a free-draining position. In the right conditions it will return well year after year, forming elegant clumps that lift the late-spring garden with crisp colour and poise.

• Colour: Blue/Purple with Yellow
• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 60–85cm
• Best for: borders, pots & containers, cutting, naturalising

Iris 'Blue Planet' (Reticulata) is a small treasure for the late-winter garden—soft, pastel-blue flowers neatly finished with a golden-yellow stripe, held above fine grey-green foliage. Compact and well-mannered, it slips beautifully into pots, gravel gardens and sunny edges, and will also naturalise with quiet ease where drainage is sharp.

Plant in autumn and look forward to a crisp, bright flourish from February to March. For the most refined display, tuck bulbs into a sheltered, sunny spot—especially welcome where winter colour is prized at close quarters near paths, steps and terraces.

• Perfect for: containers, rockeries & gravel gardens, naturalising
• Flowering: February–March
• Character: pastel-blue with yellow markings; charmingly miniature

Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ is a small treasure for the earliest weeks of spring, bringing jewel-toned blooms when the garden is still politely waking up. Neat, clump-forming and wonderfully well-suited to close viewing, it is particularly handsome threaded through gravel, tucked into alpine pockets, or arranged in pots by the door for a refined seasonal welcome.

Plant in autumn and allow these diminutive bulbs to settle in; come late winter into early spring, ‘Harmony’ rewards with crisp violet-blue flowers, lifted and brightened by yellow and white accents. The effect is quietly dramatic, yet entirely elegant—especially when planted in generous drifts.

• Colour: Violet-blue with yellow and white accents
• Flowering: February–April
• Height: 10–15cm
• Ideal for: Pots & containers, rock gardens & alpines, naturalising, front of borders
• Helpful features: Pollinator friendly, deer resistant

Iris hollandica ‘Mixed’ is a charming blend of Dutch iris in harmonising tones, chosen for elegant, upright flowers that lend a composed, architectural note to late spring planting schemes. Tuck them through borders for refined colour punctuation, or pot up in generous groups for a clean, modern look on terraces and steps.

With slender stems and a naturally poised silhouette, this mixture is also a lovely choice for the cutting garden—particularly when you’d like a succession of stems that feel effortless rather than over-styled. Where conditions suit, it will also settle in and return, quietly improving year on year.

• Bulb size: 7/8
• Height: 45–60cm
• Flowering: April to June
• Planting time: September to December
• Ideal for: borders, pots & containers, cutting garden, naturalising

Iris hollandica 'Purple Sensation' is a Dutch iris of impeccable poise, producing richly purple blooms neatly highlighted with sunny yellow markings. Rising above slender, bright green foliage on elegant stems, it brings a crisp, contemporary note to spring borders and is equally accomplished in pots.

It is also a superb choice for cutting—refined in a vase, and effortlessly smart when gathered into simple, tailored arrangements.

• Colour: Deep purple with yellow markings
• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 60cm
• Bulb size supplied: 7/8
• Position: Full sun; sheltered spot preferred
• Best for: Cutting, containers, borders and naturalising

Iris reticulata is one of those small, early pleasures that makes late winter feel positively promising. This mixed selection offers jewel-like flowers in rich blues, violets and purples—each bloom a neat, refined accent above slender green foliage.

Ideal for tucking into the front of borders, threading through gravel gardens, or planting in generous drifts to naturalise in a sheltered, well-drained spot. It is equally handsome in pots and troughs by the door, where you can enjoy the detail at close quarters as the season turns.

• Colour palette: blue, violet and purple tones (mixed)
• Flowering: February–March
• Height: 25cm
• Perfect for: pots & containers, naturalising

Leucojum aestivum (summer snowflake) is a quietly distinguished bulb for gardens that favour a little moisture and a natural, unforced elegance. In spring it sends up slender stems carrying nodding, bell-shaped white flowers, each neatly finished with fresh green tips—particularly lovely threaded through damp borders or at the edge of woodland.

Clump-forming and fully hardy, it settles in beautifully over time and is well suited to naturalising where conditions are kind. Plant in autumn and allow it to establish; the effect in drifts is gentle, poised, and effortlessly refined.

• Flowering: March to May
• Height: 50cm
• Position: Borders, woodland edges, damp ground, beside ponds
• Pollinator friendly: Yes