Amateur Gardening – 13 July 2019

13 JULY 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 29

6 autumn bulbs for the border

Hesperantha coccinea ‘Major’ AGM

Very hardy, this crimson flag lily grows

from rhizomes rather than true bulbs,

and the copper-red flowers look

spectacular in drifts. A South African

native, it likes a sunny spot. Flowers:

Sept-Nov. H: 1½ft (45cm).

Cyclamen hederifolium AGM

Sowbread flowers come in every shade

from white to deep magenta, and

decades-old corms are known to

produce 100 blooms or so. Plant under a

tree where grass cutting is not required.

Flowers: Jul-Nov. H: 4in (10cm).

x Amarcrinum memoria-corsii

‘Howardii’

A cross between Amaryllis belladonna

and Crinum moorei, possessing the best

qualities of each. The soft-pink funnel-

shaped blooms have a delicate scent.

Flowers: Sept-Nov. H: 32in (80cm).

Colchicum agrippinum AGM

The curiously chequered amethyst-

and-white funnel-shaped flowers open

almost flat in the sun (and plants do

prefer a sunny spot). Very free-flowering

in the second year and thereafter.

Flowers: Aug-Oct. H: 3½-4in (8-10cm).

Sternbergia lutea AGM

Known as autumn daffodils, these

beauties for the front of a border thrive

in a thin, well-drained soil. They may not

flower this year from dry bulbs, but if

happy they’ll build up into large colonies.

Flowers: Sept/Oct. H: 6in (15cm).

All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited

Eucomis pallidiflora AGM

Pale greenish-white flowers are carried

on a long spike that takes up more than

half the flowering stem. The leaves may

flop against neighbouring plants, but it’s

elegant nonetheless. Flowers: Sept-

Oct. H: 1½-2½ft (45-75cm).

you can create pockets of white (with

the star-shaped flowers of Zephyranthes

candida), red (the brightly coloured kaffir

lily or hesperantha), yellow (the so-

called autumn daffodil or sternbergia)

and shades of pink (with amaryllis,

nerines, and more). All of these bulbs

are easy to grow, but beware as you

may not be able to find them all now for

immediate planting. Bulbs are highly

seasonal, and many specialist nurseries

only operate at certain times of the year.

However, that doesn’t have to mean

missing out permanently. If you can’t get

hold of your preferred options now,

simply make a note to get them later,

so you can plant for next year. You’ll

be really pleased you did.

GAP