Elspeth Thompson chooses the bulbs to plant now and enjoy later
For me there is something unfailingly cheering and hopeful about bulb-planting – it even helped me through the death of a muchloved dog one sad October. It can be tiring if large numbers are involved, so alternate the big naturalistic swaths with handfuls of delicate beauties in pots that can be brought inside when coming into bloom – and keep plenty of plant labels, sharpened pencils, hot soup and Radio 3 to hand. As this year's leaves are yellowing and falling to the ground, it's heartening to be lighting the touch-paper of next spring's growth. For, once set beneath their blanket of soil and watered in, these nuggets of concentrated life will be imperceptibly stirring towards their moment of glory in a few months' time.
Best planted indoors, in pots of soil or in glass bowls filled with pebbles and water, with the bases of the bulbs just touching the surface. Their fragrance will fill a room.
