Bulbs made easy!

Planting bulbs is quick, easy and incredibly rewarding. They will typically come up year after year, providing great colour, often naturalising (ie spreading!) and if chosen well are definitely not just for Spring. Bulbs can flower throughout a big chunk of the year.

If you know what you want then ordering from the many online shops is easy, but if you don’t, then our curated collections are designed for you. Most of our clients have a specific colour palette or position in mind and are quite particular about the varieties they like so we have tried to capture some of the most popular of these. Feel free to contact us here if you have specific favourites, a larger site needing more serious quantities, or need some advice.

How many to get?

More is almost always better with bulbs as long as you can physically get them in!  We recommend selecting a few varieties (say 5-10), for each area or season, and planting in drifts across the garden. Bulbs take up a very small space for the amount of colour that they provide, and are cheap for the amount of impact and longevity. Our suggestions are designed to fit in almost any space- pick a pack or 2 to boost a particular bed or a smaller garden, 5 or more for a larger one, and consider a few bumper packs if you have a larger garden and haven’t put in bulbs before!

For serious scale drifts (longer driveways and meadow edges for example) we can scale things up, and introduce some more varieties so do get in touch for a chat and some advice if you have this in mind.

Planting bulbs is easy- ideally use a bulb planter (it will save your back) and drop each bulb in around 2-3 times the depth of the bulb with the point upwards. When planting in lawn areas it is good to scatter the bulbs in the area you are covering and plant where they land for a more natural effect- this can be harder to achieve in planting beds! For the tiny bulbs you can pop more than one in the hole, and I don’t worry about getting them the right way up!

1) “In the purple”

Stunning early spring bulbs

Brighten up beds before the perennials come out to play with some purple, pink and white bulbs including gorgeous early tulips. You should have colour through Spring with these.

Our selected pack comprises 210 bulbs:

25 Crocus
25 Fritillaria
25 Muscari
15 Iris
25 Scilla
45 Tulips
50 Miniature daffodils

2) “Hot Stuff”

Bright hot colours for eye-catching colour

Add some hot colour to the beds. Even if hotter colours are not normally your thing, a few bright pops of oranges and reds really make the borders sing. The tall foxtail lillies and fritillaries are impressive and eye-catching statements that will definitely invite comments!

Our pack includes 175 bulbs:

50 Allium
25 Anemone
5 Eremurus
5 Fritillaria
50 Narcissus
40 Tulips

3) “In the woodland”

Bulbs for naturalising in woodlands and semi-shade spots

Tree covered areas are so much brighter with some spring bulbs underneath. The varieties we have chosen are all suitable for naturalising- so spread of their own accord over the years to create a carpet of colour.

This collection is 210 bulbs:

20 Anemone
40 Camassia
20 Chinodoxa
15 Corydalis
15 Cyclamen
50 Snowdrops
25 Native bluebells
25 Miniature daffodil

4) “In the pink”

Colourful border mix for Spring and Summer

Summer borders, even established ones, can certainly take a bit of extra colour- a drift of bulbs through the existing planting will add colour and excitement to any space. This selection will give pops of colour from early spring through to late summer.

This gorgeous selection pack is 140 bulbs:

20 Alliums
15 Anemone
20 Narcissus
60 Tulips
20 Gladiolus
5 Eremurus

5) “Cool White”

Selection for all seasons

Love a white garden? Or just want to add white accents to your other planting? Then this is the collection for you. From the tall white alliums to the pretty early flowering crocus and Fritillaria, there is much to enjoy. Love the cheer of daffodils but don’t like the colour? We have included a lovely white narcissus to bring a cool white Spring to your garden.

This selection consists of 240 bulbs:

5 Alliums
10 Anemone
20 Camassia
50 Narcissus
40 Chinodoxa
65 Crocus
5 Eremurus
25 Fritillaria
25 Tulip

6) “Totally Tulips”

Tulips come in an astonishing array of colours and shapes, so we have selected a glorious mix of these to plant in groups across your garden

Our selection consists of 120 bulbs, 20 of each of these lovely varieties

7) “Bumper stock up”

Newer gardens (or tired ones!) will be transformed by a larger selection of bulbs to give broad interest and colour for as many areas as possible. This selection covers the bulbs we are asked for most often, with colour flushes in all seasons.

A bumper selection of 325 bulbs in named varieties will add a whole new dimension to your garden. This bundle comprises:

70 alliums
10 Anemones
30 Crocus
10 Cyclamen
5 eremurus
5 Fritillaria
50 Snowdrop
25 Iris
25 Muscari
50 Narcissus
80 Tulips (4 varieties)

8) “All about Alliums”

Probably the bulbs we get asked for more than any other are Alliums. Reliable Spring and Summer flowering, this collection includes the small flowering and larger varieties for a longer season of interest. If you prefer a single variety just let us know and we can make up a pack for you! Consider a pack to blitz a specific bed of a few packs to divide the species around the garden…

This pack includes:

50 Allium Sphaerocephalon
10 Allium Gladiator
15 Allium Mont Blanc
25 Allium Sensation

Pricing and how to purchase:

For Autumn/Winter 2023, Our tailored packs are selected and put together ourselves, pricing below is inclusive of VAT, and we will send out by post (£4.50 delivery charge) or, for our maintenance clients, we can deliver and arrange planting. Just ping us an email to Ruth@cgla.co.uk with your name address and order details and we will be in touch swiftly!

1) “In the purple”

210 Stunning early spring bulbs
£60 per pack inclusive of VAT.

2) “Hot Stuff”

175 hot coloured bulbs for eye-catching colour
£90 per pack inclusive of VAT.

3) “In the woodland”

210 Bulbs for naturalising
£122 per pack inclusive of VAT

4) “In the pink”

150 Colourful colourful Spring and Summer bulbs
£150 per pack inclusive of VAT

5) “Cool white selection”

245 white bulbs for all seasons
£166 inclusive of VAT

6) “Totally tulips”

120 of our favourite tulips for Spring and Summer
£45 inclusive of VAT

7) “Bumper stock up”

a great value selection of 360 bulbs for all areas and seasons
£250 inclusive of VAT

8) “All about Alliums”

100 wonderful allium bulbs for Spring and Summer elegance
£102 inclusive of VAT

CGLA are an award winning team of Garden Designers, Landscape Architects, Landscapers and Garden Maintenance Operatives working in Buckinghamshire, London and the South East, as well as on prestigious design projects across the UK and abroad. We are currently working in Oman, Jersey and France, and welcome enquires for design, landscaping or garden maintenance. Contact us here