The Case for Drifts Rather Than Rows

A cottage garden should never look as though it has been measured. The charm of a Welsh hillside or a Cotswold front border comes from abundance spilling over the edges, and nothing delivers that better in early spring than bulbs planted in generous, informal drifts. Think of a river of pale daffodils curving beneath an apple tree, or a haze of snowdrops threading between the roots of an old hedge.

Drifts work because the eye reads them as one soft mass rather than as individual plants. To create one, dig a patch about a metre wide and twice as long, then scatter your bulbs across the surface and plant them exactly where they land. This avoids the telltale grid pattern that comes from planting at strict intervals. Aim for odd-numbered groupings of five, seven or nine if you are working in a small border, and let the drift narrow at one end so it tapers naturally into the grass.

It also helps to plant two or three different varieties that flower in succession, so the drift changes character over six or eight weeks rather than bursting and vanishing in a fortnight.

Choosing Bulbs That Suit Cottage Conditions

Not every bulb enjoys the damp, humus-rich soil of a traditional cottage garden, so choose with your ground in mind.

• Daffodils (narcissus): The backbone of any spring display. Dwarf varieties such as 'Tête-à-Tête' suit the front of a border, while taller heirlooms like 'Thalia' or 'Actaea' naturalise beautifully in rough grass. They flower from late February into April depending on variety.
• Tulips: Less reliable at coming back year after year, but unbeatable for colour in April and May. Species tulips such as Tulipa tarda and Tulipa sprengeri return far more willingly than the big showy hybrids. Treat most tulips as annuals and replant each autumn.
• Snowdrops: The earliest and most romantic of the lot. Buy them as dry bulbs in September, or as potted or "in the green" plants in February and March, which establish far more successfully.
• Supporting cast: Crocus, grape hyacinth, winter aconite and snake's head fritillary all earn their place in a cottage scheme.

Whatever you choose, buy firm, heavy bulbs with no soft patches and plant them the same week they arrive. Bulbs left in a paper bag on a shed shelf will shrivel before they ever see soil.

Timing and Placement

The planting season runs from early September to late November, and the order matters. Snowdrops and daffodils go in first, from September into October, so they have time to root before the cold sets in. Tulips are best left until November, as planting them late reduces the risk of fungal disease in wet ground.

Most spring bulbs want sun for at least half the day, but they will happily flower beneath deciduous trees and shrubs because they complete their season before the canopy closes overhead. Avoid permanently soggy spots and deep shade under evergreens, where bulbs will rot or sulk. If your soil is heavy clay, fork in a generous barrowload of well-rotted compost and a handful of grit per square metre before planting.

Depth, Spacing and Technique

The old rule of thumb is simple and reliable: plant each bulb at roughly three times its own height. In practice, that means daffodils at 15cm (6in), large tulips at 20cm (8in), and small bulbs like snowdrops and crocus at 8cm (3in).

A few practical points make the difference between a display and a disappointment:

• Plant bulbs with the pointed tip upwards. If you cannot tell which end is which, lay them on their side; they will right themselves.
• Space bulbs roughly two to three times their width apart within a drift, close enough to look full but not touching.
• Drop a small handful of grit into each planting hole on heavy soil to keep water moving away from the base.
• In pots, layer larger bulbs at the bottom and smaller ones above, separated by a few centimetres of compost. This "lasagne" method gives you a dense, long-lasting display from a single container.
• Mark the edges of each drift with short bamboo canes, otherwise you will dig straight through them in summer while planting something else.

Water the ground afterwards if the autumn has been dry, and top the area with a light mulch of leafmould. Do not mulch heavily over the crowns, as this can smother emerging shoots.

Let the Foliage Die Back Naturally

This is the single most important rule, and the one most often broken. After flowering, the leaves are the bulb's solar panel. They are busy converting sunlight into the sugars that will fuel next spring's bloom, and cutting them away early starves the bulb for the year ahead.

Deadhead the flowers as they fade, nipping off the seed head but leaving the stem and leaves intact. Then simply leave the foliage alone for at least six weeks, and ideally until it has turned yellow, flopped over and become papery. Never knot, braid or tie the leaves together in bunches, as this reduces the leaf area exposed to light and encourages disease.

To keep the border looking tidy while the foliage yellows, plant bulbs behind late-emerging perennials such as hardy geraniums, nepeta or alchemilla. Their new growth will rise up and hide the dying leaves just as the show finishes. A fortnightly feed of diluted tomato fertiliser during this period gives bulbs in containers a useful boost. In grass, simply resist the urge to mow that patch until the leaves have completely collapsed, usually by early June.

Naturalising and Looking After the Years Ahead

Some bulbs settle in and multiply for decades; others fade within two or three seasons. Daffodils, snowdrops, crocus and fritillaries naturalise readily if left undisturbed, and they will gradually spread into wider drifts on their own. Tulips rarely do, so plan to lift and replace them each year if you want that classic cottage colour.

If a clump becomes crowded and flowers grow smaller and sparser, lift and divide it in early summer once the foliage has died down. Replant the largest bulbs immediately and give the rest away. Guard against squirrels by laying a sheet of chicken wire just below the soil surface over newly planted tulip beds, and by planting deeply rather than shallowly.

Get this rhythm right once and spring will reward you every year, without any further effort beyond a little patience and the willingness to leave well alone.