straight into spring in an instant. They’re inexpensive and versatile, and you can place them in a cool greenhouse, or arrange them on a plant theatre close to a sheltered wall. You could add them to a winter container, or use them on a patio or balcony. Once they go over, they can be planted outside, in areas that don’t get waterlogged. Here are 10 varieties to look out for.
1. Scilla siberica AGM
.
2. Galanthus
.
3. Crocuses
. “Vanguard” and “Yalta”, both silver-mauve, are highly desirable.
4. Fritillaria meleagris
, along with lots of other goodies.
5. Miniature narcissus
.
6. Cyclamen coum
) is a cyclamen specialist.
7. Muscari or grape hyacinth
from our borders. It’s best to confine this one to wilder garden areas to save your sanity. The less aggressive “White Tiger”, a pure-white, and the pale-blue “Jenny Robinson” (or “Baby’s Breath”) look wonderful in pots for three to four weeks and they are not rampant. I love the fuzzy double-flowered “Blue Spike” and “Fantasy Creation”, and the Ocean Magic series, with its neat white margins. The Dutch are breeding lots of new ones; these are adaptable and grow almost anywhere.
8. Eranthis hyemalis
. This has fine purplish foliage.
9. Reticulate irises
“Lady Beatrix Stanley” is my most enduring early iris with substantial weather-proof flowers in rich-blue, splashed in white and with a yellow central stripe. Lady B endures year on year, because the foliage develops into a foot-high sheath, so the bulbs always get replenished. Early flowering irises need good drainage and a sheltered position.
10. Anemone blanda
.
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