Adam Kirkland’s talk on 8 July 2025 showed his passion for all bulbs, but he spoke in particular about many of his favourites.
He is well-known for his social media presence on Facebook and TikTok as well as his articles in Amateur Gardening magazine and talks at RHS garden shows.
Having started gardening during lockdown, he considers himself a new but enthusiastic gardener. During lockdown, with time on his hands, he began to transform his garden by creating borders, recycling and repurposing items, and planting many pots.
He fondly remembers planting bulbs as a child with family members and replicated that by progressing from daffodils to over 3000 tulips in pots, which he moves around his garden.
These are some of the bulbs he suggested:
January – Snowdrops (Galanthus) are best bought in flower, as they will spread rapidly when planted. Bulbs tend to be less successful.
February – Crocus likes a sunny position and should be planted in autumn in pots or the ground at 3 times the depth of the bulb. They originate from the hilly regions of Kazakhstan.
March – Daffodils (Narcissi) come in all shapes, sizes and colours. 90% are nicely scented except for Paper Whites, which Adam said smelled like a cat’s litter tray. Plant in autumn to early winter in pots or in the ground, and at the first sight of flowering, everyone believes spring is on its way.
April – Tulips are very vibrant with colours of red, orange and yellow. They don’t reliably come back each year, as they are bred to last just 1 year.
Adam surprised everyone by admitting he gets rid of all 3000 of his bulbs each year and buys new ones, often from supermarkets. Smaller botanical varieties do come back each year.
Plant when the soil cools in November/December to prevent tulip fire disease, which affects the bulb. If planting in pots, he advised gritty compost and planting in the ratio of 30 bulbs in a 30cm pot and 20 bulbs in a 20cm pot.
May – Fritillaries (snakehead) like dappled shade. They should be planted in autumn and will spread into large clumps bouncing in the wind.
June – Alliums like a sunny position at the back of the border, so as the foliage dies back early in flower, this is not so visible. When the flower heads start to dry, they provide seeds for birds, so don’t cut back until springtime, and they can also look stunning throughout the winter.
July – Lilies can be grown in the ground or pots. They are highly scented but seem to have fallen out of fashion recently. They are prone to being attacked by red lily beetles, which eat every part of the plant.
August – Dahlias are tubers and can be tricky to grow in wet weather, so this could become challenging as the climate changes. This will also increase slugs in our gardens, which love to eat the plants when they are young. It is advisable to start the tubers off in individual pots in early spring, before planting in the ground when green shoots appear.
September – Crocosmia are corms. They are best bought as a plant in July, and it is not unusual for them to take 2-3 years to flower.
October – Nerine bulbs flower late into the year, from September to November, and should be planted in April to June with the top of the bulb showing above the soil. They are highly scented, but not everyone’s cup of tea.
November – Oxalis (candy cane sorrel) are tiny bulbs that grow 10-15 cm tall. They are more suited to milder areas because they will not tolerate temperatures below -3 degrees, but they do provide colour as the season slows down.
December – Cyclamen is a corm, producing vibrant coloured flowers in the deep winter. They should be planted at the front of the border in a shady position. Adam recommends visiting RHS Wisley in November or December, as they have the best display of cyclamen he knows of.
Adam explained two of the ways he plants pots, one as a “bulb lasagne”. Taking one pot, he starts at the bottom with a layer of Daffodil bulbs then on top of these a layer of Tulip bulbs and finally Crocus bulbs to provide a riot of colour.
He also uses a tier of pots, planting each pot with different bulbs and standing them on top of each other as a tier.
Some books suggested by Adam for further reading include “A Year in Bloom” by Lucy Bellamy and “Containers in the Garden” by Claus Dalby.
I’m sure everyone enjoyed and learned something from the talk and will be looking forward to planting their bulbs in the autumn.
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