Gardening tips for October: Plant bulbs
Now is the time to plant bulbs for a spring display


Now is the hour of planting out bulbs for spring display. Tulips need the most planning, as it is easy to overlook the vital information regarding height and, especially, flowering period. Look over the bulbs for the occasional duffer, then plant them into well-cultivated soil at about a trowel-blade's depth. If you're going to plant them among wallflowers or some such, plant the tulips first, mark the sites with sticks, then plant the wallflowers. It will be worth the wait. Fresh bulbs each year work best with tulips, delivering the desired uniformity.
* Subscribe to Country Life and save 40%
* Gardening calendar: October jobs
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
The life that thrives among the dead: How wildlife finds a home in the graveyards and churchyards of Britain
Home to a veritable ‘Noah’s Ark of species’, thanks to never being ploughed, sprayed or fertilised, our churchyards offer a sacred haven for flora and fauna, says Laura Parker.
-
‘What a shame when a dinosaur disappears into the mansion of an oligarch rather than being displayed for all to enjoy’: The ethics of the dinosaur auction
Fancy a stegosaurus in your living room? You can buy one at auction. But the latest luxury good is a paleontologist's worst nightmare.