Spring bulbs herald the beginning of the gardening season, and provide lovely pops of colour in pots and borders after winter. The show then continues with summer- and autumn-flowering bulbs. But when should you plant bulbs to make sure they flower in the season you want them to? Here we break down the answer to the question: when to plant bulbs, including when spring bulbs should be planted.
You may also like:
Don't worry, however if you miss the best time slot – just work around the time that you have. Climate change means that it can still be very mild in autumn, which is not great for tulip planting in particular. Also, it is best to wait to plant bulbs after rain, otherwise the soil may be hard to dig.
Plan ahead to make sure you have the bulbs you want in time for planting – sometimes the most popular, rare or unusual sell out early.
Most bulbs are perennial, so will come back year after year once you have planted them. You'll need to refresh your tulips every year, although some are more reliably perennial.
When to plant spring bulbs
Autumn
Crocus, snowdrops, daffodils, tulips and alliums, iris, camassia, scilla, muscari and fritillaria and the lovely tiny narcissi should all be planted in autumn.
Daffodil, crocus and hyacinth bulbs: plant by the end of September if you want them to flower in March.
Fritillary bulbs: plant fritillaries in September and October.
Watch head gardener Troy Scott Smith explain how to plant bulbs
Allium bulbs: can be planted in late September, October or November.
Snowdrop bulbs: snowdrop bulbs should not be planted later than early October. Many people, however, prefer to plant snowdrops "in the green" in late winter or early spring.
Crocus and scilla bulbs: smaller flowered bulbs such as crocus and scilla should be planted in the first half of October.
Tulip bulbs: tulips should be planted later in autumn, in November (or even December) so that the colder weather has wiped out any viruses. Here's how to grow tulips. If you want to save time in future, you could plant perennial tulips – they will come back year after year.
Forgotten to plant your spring bulbs?
Don't worry. Get them in the ground as soon as you can, discarding any that are soft or rotten, and you may be surprised at how they thrive nonetheless. It will depend on the severity of your winter but you might find that your late-planted bulbs are quite happy.
Read our article on how late can you plant bulbs.
You may also like:
- 21 brilliant bulbs that will give you colour in every season
- How to stop squirrels eating your bulbs
Planting spring bulbs in the green
Some spring bulbs, such as snowdrops and bluebells, can be planted in the green (when they have leaves but have not yet flowered) in late winter. Bulbs in the green can be bought online or by mail order.
When to plant summer flowering bulbs
Spring
Summer flowering bulbs can be planted in spring. Summer-flowering bulbs include lilies, dahlias, dierama, gladioli and crocosmia.
Read our feature on the best summer bulbs to plant in spring.
When to plant autumn-flowering bulbs
Summer
Plant autumn-flowering bulbs, such as nerines and amarines and colchicums by late summer. To flower well, nerine bulbs need to be baked by the sun, so avoid planting them where they will be overshadowed by other plants. Plant the bulbs just below the surface of the soil in large clumps. In cold areas mulch them after they have finished flowering to give extra protection during wet and cold winters.
When to plant winter-flowering bulbs
Autumn
There are a series of bulbs that will happily flower over winter indoors in pots, including Hippeastrum (amaryllis) and paperwhite narcissi, which will flower six to eight weeks after planting.
Forcing bulbs
Forcing bulbs is a way to manipulate outdoor spring bulbs so that they flower early, bringing a much-need burst of colour into the home during the winter months when very little is happening in the garden. It's a great way of adding colour to a house during winter. Here's our guide on forcing bulbs and our recommended bulb vases.
This article was updated on 4 November 2026.
