Baytree Garden Centre’s Mark Cox on planning ahead for spring

Baytree Garden Centre’s Mark Cox talks about planning ahead for spring...

This morning, when bending down to pick today’s socks from my sock drawer, I heard myself let out a small “aarrrggghhh”. For a moment I stood there puzzled as I couldn’t quite believe that the groan had emanated from me, after all I’m only 50.

Only last week I opted to stay in and watch Emmerdale with a nice cup of cocoa over a night out with the boys. Gradually I’ve developed a fondness for Werther’s Originals and zip up cardigans.

On Tuesday, while in a popular newsagents rhyming with WH Whiffs, I found myself strangely drawn to the section of the shop where they make you take your shoes off and change into tartan slippers in order to browse their selection of Word Search and Sudoku puzzle books.

I’m now the proud owner of a pair of reading glasses as I can no longer read the text on my phone. In fact, at one stage, I had to make the text large enough so it was legible enough for a airline passenger cruising at 33,000 feet to read my bank account number, sort code, password and social security numbers.

To add insult to injury, the present Mrs Cox – to go with my zip up cardigan and tortoise effect reading glasses - went out and bought me a pair of high waisted corduroy trousers for my birthday in baby sick beige. Then, after she made me put them on, she handed me a copy of the Wiltshire Farm Foods catalogue to choose my birthday meal. (Cottage pie, obviously, it’s soft)!

With my now-diminishing life expectancy I thought I’d better start looking forward to my limited time left on this earth. Obviously I can’t look too far forward but I felt safe enough focusing on next spring!

It’s time to start choosing and planting next year’s spring bulbs. Most garden centres will be filling up with spring bulbs which will be quickly snapped up. So, for the best choice of bulbs, now is the time to buy. Daffodils can be planted now whereas Tulips need to be planted from November onwards, depending upon the variety. Buying bulbs in sacks is by far the most cost effect way of purchasing your spring bulbs.

There is plenty of information on bulb packets nowadays and, with the advent of the internet, there is a wealth of knowledge out there. It is important to follow the instructions though which will include at what time of the year to plant and how deep into the ground the bulb should be placed.

Planting bulbs can be done in serval ways; many people like to have regimented rows of bulbs containing the same variety around their garden beds and borders. Others, like me, prefer their planting scheme to be a little more naturalistic.

Creating a naturalistic planting scheme can be quite difficult though if you don’t have an artistic eye. Of course I am talking totally rubbish as the best way to create a natural look is to simply take a handful of bulbs and toss them into the air. Where they land is where you plant them.

All good garden centres will also carry specialist bulb planting tools which are designed to remove a perfect plug of soil to your chosen depth into which you plant your bulb. Then, once the bulb is in the hole, fill it with the neat plug you’ve just taken.

I’d better leave it there for now and get back to bed as I wouldn’t want matron knowing that I was awake past 6pm.