The problem with ordering your bulbs early is that when they finally arrive, you’ve forgotten what you planned to do with them all. This is somewhat compounded by waiting for six new bare root roses to be delivered so I could plant them all up in the new bed.

In theory this new bed comprises:

• a row (or two) or blue iris, primarily Yosemite star, just planted with some stragglers from pots and described as “Yosemite Star. Blended blue wisteria self. Ruffled. Mid to late season ie. around May Strongly remontant throughout summer and autumn. Ht. 90cm“, and behind;
•  one row of white David Austin shrub roses, Susan Williams-Ellis described as “extremely healthy with an exceptionally long flowering season. Charming, pure white, rosette-shaped flowers of Old Rose beauty. Strong Old Rose fragrance. Exceptionally long flowering season (June-August). Extremely tough, healthy and hardy.” growing to a height of around 90cm (3ft)

Plus whatever bulbs I fancy planting in amongst them.

Apparently, bearded Irises must enjoy full sun and sharp drainage. They disdain the miseries of shade and clay. Interplant Bearded Irises with plants with scanty foliage: alpine pinks, late flowering alliums….

I have already received and planted up some crocus, white muscari, small repeat tulips ( saxatilis bakery) along underneath a hedge, but set the alliums (Mount Everest X 10, Allium aflatunese ‘Purple Sensation’ X 10) and fritellaria (X50) to one side.

Now I have a mammoth bulb session ahead of me with these plus tulips, gladioli (The Bride) and some scilla siberica (X75).

Type:                            Name:          Flowers:                               Thoughts:

• Gladioli  x50  – The Bride   – May              -60cm   – roses
• Allium    x10      Mt Everest-June/July   -90cm   – roses
• Tulip     x25 Angels Wish    -May               – 60cm  – White new bed
• Tulip     x25 Queen Night  -May                – 60cm  – Black, new bed
• Tulip     x20 Survivor            -May                – 60cm  -pink,    new bed
• Tulip    x 40 Shirley               – April               -50cm  – White new bed
• Tulip      x35 Angelique        -Apr                 -45cm   – Pink    new bed
• scilla       x75      Alba               -Mar/Apr     – 6cm     – in front of iris
• Fritellaria x50 Alba               – Apr/May    – 30cm – in amongst of iris

• Tulip     x25 Queen Night  -May                – 60cm  – Black, back bed
• Allium    x10      Afflat.           – May/June  -80cm  – back bed roses
• Tulip      x35 Angelique        -Apr                 -45cm   – front garden
• Tulip     x25 Angels Wish    -May               – 60cm  – White for shade
• Tulip     x10 Apeldoorn       -May                – 60cm  – Scarlet, front bed

rose&2alliums pattern

x    //    x     //   x    //   x   //    x    //    x

I’m going to treat the gladioli like summer flowering tulips, planting the corms deep (10cm) to try to reduce the need to stake. They arrive before the roses with the iris so I’m thinking I’ll plant them as a dos between roses and iris and see what happens.