Garden experts reveal the two best times of year to buy bulbs – and you need to act now

A garden expert has revealed the two best times of year to buy bulbs, and now is one of them if you want a spring garden bursting with blooms.

Flowering bulbs are a staple of many gardens for vibrant blooms come spring and summer. Around late September is the best time to start planting bulbs for spring, but knowing the best times to buy your bulbs helps with the smooth running of your planting calendar, so you don’t miss any planting opportunities.

You get spring-flowering bulbs and summer-flowering bulbs, leaving two windows of time to pick up the bulbs you need. And if you want a spring garden full of colour, now is the time to buy your spring bulbs.

When to buy bulbs

The time to plant bulbs for spring is September and October, when the soil is still warm and the plants can establish themselves, making late summer, or now, the best time to buy spring bulbs.

Meanwhile, summer flowering bulbs are best bought in the early spring, ready to be planted when the frost has passed and the soil is starting to warm up again.

‘Most bulbs are usually available to buy during their planting season, as this prevents the need to store them for prolonged periods of time, especially as they will need to be stored somewhere cool, dry and sheltered from draughts and frost,’ says Richard Barker, commercial director of LBS Horticulture.

If you know how to store bulbs, you can often pick up discounted bulbs when the flowers are out of season. For example, summer flowering bulbs can be picked up now, often in the sale at garden centres, and stored for up to one year.

‘Reduced bulbs can be stored away for a year until their planting season arrives, but it is best to plant bulbs as soon as possible. This is because storing the bulbs for long periods of time, especially longer than six months, can reduce their viability,’ says Richard.

‘If you cannot plant the bulbs right away, place them into a mesh or paper bag and store them in a cool, dry place like a garage. Any bulbs that are showing signs of deterioration, are rotten or feel soft should be discarded.

‘Even if you have missed the planting window, plant the bulbs into the ground or a container as soon as possible so they can still try to grow. Planting late will mean that the bulbs will not perform as good during their first year, but if they are a type of bulb that returns yearly, they can get better over time.’

The best spring bulbs to pick up now include daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths. If you want to plant tulips, you should wait until November.

Buy spring bulbs

Here are some of the places to buy spring bulbs right now. Or, if you're looking to do a good deed, Dobbies has teamed up with Alzheimer's Research UK to create a sensory spring bulb collection, with the proceeds funding vital research.

Daffodil

• Narcissus pseudonarcissus 'Lobularis', £13.95 at Sarah Raven. Use code AU25DEL at checkout for a 25% discount
• Narcissus 'King Alfred' was £19.98 now £15.98 at Crocus
• Narcissus 'Moonlight Sensation', £8.95 at Sarah Raven. Use code AU25DEL at checkout for a 25% discount

Crocus

• Crocus tommasinianus 'Whitewell Purple', £6.50 at Sarah Raven. Use code AU25DEL at checkout for a 25% discount
• Crocus 'Jeanne d'Arc', £7.99 at Crocus
• Crocus 'Yalta', £10 at Farmer Gracey

Hyacinth

• Pink Hyacinths, £2.99 at Gardening Express
• Thompson & Morgan 32 x Hyacinth 'berries & Cream Mixture' Bulbs, was £17.99 now £15.99 at Robert Dyas
• Hyacinth 'Value Mixed', £9.99 at Suttons

If you have visions of a gorgeous flower garden come spring, now is the best time to head to your local garden centre and pick up the bulbs that will turn your vision into reality.