For a gardener, there are few things worse than missing out on spring bulb deals, and if you're not a seasoned gardener it's so easy to do so. As someone who has been planting seasonal bulbs for close to a decade, it took me at least two years to work out a strategy to avoid disappointment and miss out on huge savings.
For certain things, like clothing, the strategy is to wait for your favourite items to become discounted and wait until the very last minute to buy. This is very much not the case for spring bulbs.
The window between spring bulbs going on sale and planting them in the ground before it's too late is very short. Acting quickly is paramount. Your pick of the best bulbs will be from now, rapidly depleting until the end of the year by which time you will have missed your window to plant most of them for displays next spring.
Making the most of spring bulb deals before they sell out
I like to think about the colour scheme first and work from there. The beauty of spring bulbs is that they are the chance to add some colour that can give your garden a whole new look, only to make way for something different when summer bulbs come.
So use this opportunity to serve something different. I used to favour a single colour scheme for my garden landscaping and go for all-white flowers, but now I'm more partial to something poppy. Pastel schemes are also hugely popular.
Decide on your colour palette and then ensure you get a mixture of heights and textures for a varied scheme, such as globe alliums and tulips for height, Anenomes and crocus for textured ground cover and hyacinths for alluring scents.
My final tip is to buy from specialist garden and bulb suppliers where possible because I find the consistency in quality is always that bit better, though I have had success from other internet sites in the past.
Think about buying some winter bedding plants to plant on top of your spring bulbs for interest before they sprout(Image credit: Future)
Suttons also have an additional 5% off if you sign up for their newsletter. With additional offerings of discounted products at checkout that are available if you buy a certain amount.
Hyacinth 'woodstock'
If you're looking for a quick spring container project, you can't go wrong with hyacinths. The discount only applies to packs of 5 or 20 bulbs, with the biggest saving being for 5.
Spring Flowering Bulb Bonanza
This set contains two different allium plants, a classic crocus and small daffodil varieties. So you'll get a variety of colours, heights and textures in one order.
101 Allium Collection
Allium plants are super varied in terms of their height, flower size and colour. You could have a border purely containing alliums and you'd have a great look for spring.
Thompson & Morgan
As a further incentive to buy your spring bulb deals from Thompson & Morgan you can get a further 50 bulbs for £4.99 with any order. They have some great collections of plants which will fill your borders and pots with spring colour.
156 Spring Bulb Collection
A great deal on a large amount of bulbs. You can get 156 bulbs or 181 depending on your needs. Remember it's always best to pack as many bulbs into pots and borders as possible.
Tulip Patio Mix
If you're going for bulk tulip planting, this is potentially the best tulip deal I have come across this year so far. With 120 tulip bulbs on offer for under £30.
Narcissus Collection
Another phenominal saving with 120 bulbs for £20. You can really pack these into pots and dot them about your patio and front garden for welcome pops of colour.
Van Meuwen
Enjoy an additional 10% off when you subscribe to their newsletter. Van Meuwen offer a great guarantee on their bulbs that if they fail to flourish the next season, they will endeavour to replace the product.
Giant Snowdrop
This is potentially the most outrageous saving I've seen on spring bulbs so far this year. You can get 100 of these bulbs for £24.99 instead of £79.90.
Tulip 'Ronaldo'
I've included this because I had great results with this variety last year and the 32 pack has a great saving right now. I planted them in a pot with tulip 'White Dream' for a "black-and-white" theme.
Chionodoxa luciliae 'Mixed'
This is a great-value flower even without the sale price tag. They're super hardy and will cope in shady areas beneath trees and other shrubs forming a carpet-like mass of flowers.
Sarah Raven
Sarah Raven is renowned for her ability to create beautiful tapestries of colour in the garden. You can look at her own gardens at Perch Hill to see examples of this. Tulips are a particular favourite of hers, but all her collections are beautifully curated.
All the Way Through May Tulip Collection
This is a great bulb lasagna set with different tulips popping up at different times, eventually creating a jewel toned display. Currently 20% off the listing price.
Delft Blue Perennial Bulb Collection
The beauty of this collection means that you will be investing in year after year colour, with these perennial bulbs. Sarah recommends you soak bulbs over night before planting.
Bulbs for Naturalising in Shade Collection
If you have a shady garden this could be a great purchase. Currently on offer at 20% off this collection of spring favourites will brighten up any low-light areas in your garden.
J Parker's
Anemone Blanda Mixed
A mix of pastel shades of anemone, another great-value plant which will work hard through March and April. It will form a beautiful mat of foliage and blooms in your flower beds.
Muscari Armeniacum 7cm+
This miniature hyacinth has a great scent as well as bold blue flowers. Plant at the front of a border so it's small stature doesn't get hidden by other taller plants, or in their own pots.
Anemone De Caen Mix 4/5cm
I feel like anemones aren't talked about as much as other spring bulbs like tulips and hyacinths. They make great cut-flowers for your vases and 100 bulbs are currently 50% off.
Amazon
50 Crocus Bulbs
Currently 30% off for this pack of crocus. If you've not heard of a crocus lawn before I recommend googling it as it may inspire you. Also good for spots under trees.
50 Daffodil 'tete-A-Tete' Spring Bulbs
Daffodils are the true sign that winter is over and spring is here. So plant these now and look forward to their arrival with 50 of one of the most popular daffodil varieties
10 Allium Sphaerocephalon Drumstick
These small species from the allium family are loved by bees and will give sweet little pops in a border. Currently 25% off for a pack of 10 bulbs,
FAQs
When to buy spring bulbs in the UK?
When it comes to buying your spring bulbs, my advice is to get started as early as possible. Stores start selling bulbs as early as late summer and popular varieties are inevitably the first to go. You'll still be able to get hold of late spring varieties like tulips up until about November or December.
After that, it's not worth buying them as you'll have missed your window for planting them before autumn is over. If there are any varieties you miss then set a reminder in your calendar for the following September and you can ensure you get the pick of the litter next year.
Is it too late to plant spring bulbs UK?
Depending on the variety spring bulbs should be planted in autumn. Here is my basic plan for when to plant certain spring bulbs:
Snowdrops: Plant in September to October for flowers in January and February.
Daffodils: Plant September to Ocober for flowers February to May
Crocus: Plant in September to October for flowering in February and March.
Hyacinths: Plant in November to Dec for flowers in March to April.
Tulips: Plant in November to December for flowers from March to May.
Alliums: Plant Sept-Oct for flowers May, June and July.
If you miss out on some of these deals, don't despair to much as it's possible to buy potted versions of these plants come springtime which can go straight into the ground.
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Teresa was part of a team that launched Easy Gardens in 2018 and worked as the Editor on this magazine. She has extensive experience writing and editing content on gardens and landscaping on brands such as Homes & Gardens, Country Homes & Interiors and Living Etc magazine. She has developed close working relationships with top landscape architects and leading industry experts, and has been exposed to an array of rich content and expertise.
In 2020 Teresa bought her first home. She and her partner worked alongside architects and builders to transform the downstairs area of her two bedroom Victorian house in north London into a usable space for her family. Along the way she learned the stresses, woes and joys of home renovation, and is now looking to her next project, landscaping the back garden.
