7 summer bulbs to plant in April – this month is crucial if you want to turn your garden into a colourful paradise

Now is the perfect time to start planning your summer garden, work out the colour schemes, buy your bulbs and get them in the ground. This month is crucial if you want to turn your garden into a colourful paradise.

'April is a great time, if not the best, to get planting your summer bulbs,' says Tessa Ammonds, product lead and horticulture expert at Verve.

Now the days are longer and the soil is warming up it's time to invest in planting now for beautiful summer colour in a few months. We've asked our experts what's hot to plant this month and we've included some tubers as well as bulbs – the difference being that tubers are solid and often misshapen whereas bulbs are layered like the ones we know so well.

1. Dahlia

Dahlias are such a wonderful variety to plant if you want to create a statement, whether it's in pots or your borders. Plant dahlia tubers right and you'll have eye-stopping blooms.

'They are a true summer favourite, and a great choice if you’re looking for compact plants that deliver maximum impact. They flower tirelessly from July through to October, giving you reliable colour right through the season,' says Emma Fell, head of horticulture at Hillier Garden Centres.

Sacha Przewieslik-Allen, florist, grower and founder of The Floral Potager agrees, 'Today I’m planting Hollyhill Serenity, Polka, Rosemary Dawn and Amber Queen. There are so many different colours and shapes, I prefer the ones with more than one shade in them for floristry as well as long, strong stems, of course!'

We love Sacha's choices – the Polka variety is a particular favourite, Farmer Gracy sell single tubers or packs of three.

2. Lilies

When we think of lilies, it's usually the large white lilium longliflorum variety that's so common. However, there's plenty more to choose from, and they look fabulous in borders.

Emma recommends the Zephyranthes Robusta 'Often known as Brazilian Copper Lily or Pink Fairy Lily, it is a lovely addition to the front of borders, rockeries or smaller containers. Growing to around 20-25cm, it produces charming pink flowers in July and August that bring a softer touch to planting schemes.'

If you can't decide what to go for, Thompson & Morgan's Lily Asiatic Mix (Ground Cover), from £12.99, gives you an en-masse style option with a mix of colours.

3. Gladioli

This is the best time to plant gladioli. They are bright and beautiful, they grow tall so they're ideal for creating impact against a wall and they will give you continuous summer-to-autumn blooms if you plant them every two weeks from now until May.

Caroline Bates, creative director of Hayloft Floral loves the Gladiolus Byzantinus variety. 'These are my favourite as gladioli have a reputation for being big and showy and a bit over the top but these are more delicate and work really well as a cut flower.' J Parkers have a pack of 25 for £6.99, they love sunny and partial shade locations.

4. Crocosmia

Crocosmia can be planted now, even on cooler spring days, as they're pretty hardy. They are suitable for both pots and garden border ideas and come in vibrant oranges, yellows and reds.

The Lucifer variety likes to spread, so it can be planted now before other things have a chance to take hold. J Parkers are selling a pack of 10 bulbs for £5.99.

Gardening and garden room expert Melissa Quinney at Cabin Master loves them, 'Crocosmia is a reliable favourite, April gives them a long run-up to establish before they burst into flower from mid-summer onwards, and they’ll naturalise happily without taking over. They’re also brilliant for cutting, and the sword-like foliage adds lovely structure even before the blooms appear.’

For small garden ideas, we like Mistral – Farmer Gracy's are easy to grow, and they'll bloom between July and September. It's a more compact variety than the others yet still packs a punch with its orange flowers.

5. Agapanthus

'Agapanthus bring a touch of sophistication with rounded heads of blue or white flowers on tall, elegant stems,' says Melissa. 'Plant the fleshy roots about 5cm deep in a sunny, sheltered spot with really sharp drainage, they love being slightly root-bound so they’re fantastic in pots.'

For the classic blue, check out Amazon's two agapanthus bulbs that are ready to plant now £9.97.

According to Melissa, April is the sweet spot for planting agapanthus, because the soil is warming and the risk of a hard freeze has usually passed. 'Go easy on rich compost, though, as too much nitrogen gives you lots of leaves and very few flowers,' she adds.

6. Canna

If you want something to height and a tropical feel then consider the Canna Apricot Frost. 'It makes a real statement and reaches around 90-100cm whilst adding structure to borders and works beautifully in large containers. Its vibrant apricot-orange blooms appear from early summer right through to October, creating a bold, showy display,' says Emma.

Canna loves a sunny, sheltered spot and if you keep them in the ground each winter they will come back every year. Another pretty variety is the pink Canna Dwarf Perkeo, you can buy one bulb for £9.83 from Amazon.

7. Begonia

Get ahead of the game by planting begonias inside in pots now, unless you feel confident we won't have a frost – in which case they can go directly outdoors. They need warmth and are best planted shallow.

They're a beautiful, low-maintenance, shade-tolerant variety with pretty petals, and they come in a range of colours from pastels to vibrant reds and yellows.

We love Thompson & Morgan's begonia bumper pack, from £10.99 that are ideal for including in your container ideas for show-stopping colour.

Spring bulb essentials

There's still time to get some summer colour planned for your containers and borders if you're quick! Our selection is bold and bright and ideal for creating an impact.