Plant your bulbs this month as autumn is the key time for getting daffodils, crocuses, winter aconites, muscari, hyacinths and of course tulips into the ground. Choose from the rainbow of varieties now available in our garden centre, then follow our ten golden rules so they're raring to go next spring.
Get the timing right – plant most bulbs now, but leave tulips till November to avoid the disease tulip fire.
Improve soil by digging in sand and compost – in clay soils add gravel to planting holes
Before planting loosen the soil, removing weeds and large stones
Get the depth right – plant a bulb twice as deep as the bulb is tall.
Space them naturally by scattering bulbs on the soil and planting where they fall.
In containers you can pack bulbs in more closely to dot around the garden next spring
Layer pot-grown bulbs, putting late-flowering tulips in the bottom of a container, daffodils in the middle and early-flowering crocuses in the top for months of colour
Protect bulb containers by wrapping in bubble wrap or hessian tied round layers of newspaper
Water immediately after planting
Enjoy your bulbs again next year by feeding straight after flowering and letting them die back naturally
