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Bulbs for containers
Narcissus (dwarf hybrids)
Bulb
Familiar narcissus and daffodil shapes, but on smaller scale plants. Good varieties include buttercup yellow, small flowered ‘Tête à Tête’, the lemon and white ‘Jack Snipe’, whose outer petals are swept back, and the intriguing ‘Queen Anne’s Double’, whose flowers are almost like small yellow roses. Later varieties include the highly scented jonquil ‘Trevithian’ and ‘Hawera’, whose tiny cups are accentuated by fully reflexed petals.
Soil preference: Any, not too dry
Aspect: Sun or part shade
Season of interest: Spring
Height and spread: Up to 25cm × 10cm (10in × 4in)
Companion plants: Naturals with almost any small, spring-flowering planting scheme, these narcissi will spice up forget-me-nots, primroses, winter heathers or such big foliage plants as Bergenia.
Eucomis bicolor
Pineapple Lily Marginally hardy bulb
Undulating dark green leaves surmount a single, thick, cylindrical stem carrying masses of tightly packed flowers in a broad spike. A topknot of foliage, above the greenish, dark-edged flowers, gives the impression of a pineapple. A handsome display of ripening seed capsules follows.
Soil preference: Moist, humus-rich
Aspect: Sun or part shade
Season of interest: Summer, autumn
Height and spread: 60cm × 45cm (2ft × 1ft 6in)
Companion plants: A streamside plant in its native South Africa, but excellent in containers for summer gardens. Mix with potted cannas and bananas to enhance the tropical feel and create a striking patio display.
Leucocoryne purpurea
Glory of the Sun Tender bulb
T. Cooper
A species from South America with grassy foliage and spikes bearing six-petalled flowers, which are mottled purple with paler centres. Under-used in northern gardens, this plant is, however, a genus of great beauty. Leucocoryne ixioides has brilliant blue flowers with white petal bases.
Soil preference: Free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Spring, early summer
Height and spread: 45cm × 15cm (1ft 6in × 6in)
Companion plants: Though tender, these will over-winter with minimal protection and are beautiful near the silvery foliage of, say, Convolvulus cneorum or Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ in a large container.
Lilium hybrids
Hardy bulbs
Highly variable group, always with narrow leaves along the stems which bear sprays of large, often highly scented flowers. These may be funnel shaped or may open to form big, six-pointed star shapes, or can curl back on themselves to resemble turbans. Examples include ‘Casablanca’, tiger lily (L. lancifolium) hybrids and ‘Trumpet’ lilies.
Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining. Some dislike lime
Aspect: Sun or part shade
Season of interest: Summer, autumn
Height and spread: To 1.5m × 75cm (5ft × 2ft 6in)
Companion plants: Virtually all lilies are excellent container plants and are best grown alone, but with their pots arranged with other, large plants. A pot of lilies placed close to a containerized dwarf maple such as Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’, for example, will create an Oriental effect.
Gladiolus callianthus
Acidanthera Near hardy, corm-bearing perennial
Sword-like leaves arranged in a fan shape are joined in late summer by tall flower spikes bearing fragrant white blooms, whose centres are boldly marked with dark crimson or purple. Each flower hangs on a short, but elegantly curved stalk. Previously known as Acidanthera.
Soil preference: Any free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Late summer, early autumn
Height and spread: 120cm × 30cm (4ft × 1ft)
Companion plants: A great mixer, beautiful in pots among Eucomis, lilies or with containerized bedding such as tuberous begonias, hot-coloured dahlias or fuchsias.
Agapanthus africanus
Tender bulb
These evergreen agapanthus – superb for containers – are more tender than deciduous kinds and need winter protection. Bold, strap-shaped leaves and massive stems bear generous umbels of blue, or in ‘Alba’, white flowers. ‘Sapphire’ is dark blue; ‘Glen Avon’, lilac blue and the impressive ‘Purple Cloud’, deep purple-blue.
Soil preference: Free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: Up to 1.5m × 1m (5ft × 3ft 3in)
Companion plants: Beautiful as solo performers, but also effective with mixed containers of architectural foliage plants. A cool effect is achieved with the silver foliage of artemisias, Helichrysum petiolare or Felicia amelloides.
