Four bulb and tuber plants to prevent dull garden gaps

Four carefully chosen bulb and tuber plants can prevent this dull gap in the garden.

Many amateur gardeners know the situation: the first spring flowers have finished, roses are showing only leaf buds, and colourful summer perennials are still some way off. Anyone who does not plan ahead in March may be left looking at largely bare beds until July. Yet this lean period can be closed surprisingly easily with a straightforward planting scheme based on four selected bulb and tuber plants – providing flowers from early summer through to autumn.

Why March is the crucial month for summer-flowering plants

In the United Kingdom, March generally signals the shift from winter into spring. The harshest frosts begin to ease, the ground thaws and gradually warms up. Experienced gardeners use precisely this window to get summer-flowering plants into the ground.

“Anyone who plants summer flowers only in late April or May will often delay flowering until high summer – and lose valuable weeks of colour.”

Many tuberous and bulbous plants require several weeks to establish roots, produce strong new growth and form flower buds. If they are planted too late, they fall behind the gardening season. From the outside, this can make it seem as though the garden is “not getting going”.

The solution is to start four varieties as early as March, selecting plants that complement one another in flowering time and appearance. This creates an almost uninterrupted display from early summer into autumn, even in small gardens or on balconies.

The four key plants for a summer without flowering gaps

In practical terms, these four choices have proved particularly effective:

• Dahlias – richly coloured, long-flowering plants for beds and containers
• Begonias – dependable sources of colour for shade and partial shade
• Lilies – elegant structural plants with powerful fragrance
• Peonies – an investment in abundant flowers for future years

Each plant has its own role within the garden. Together, they fill gaps in both time and space, ensuring there is no sudden “off-air period” once the spring flowers have faded.

Dahlias: a burst of colour from June to October

Dahlias are among the most popular summer-flowering plants. They offer an enormous range of flower shapes and colours, from small pompons and simple open blooms to dramatic cactus forms.

A practical March routine:

• Take tubers from winter storage or buy fresh ones.
• Plant them in pots filled with loose compost, with the shoot point facing upwards.
• Keep them somewhere bright, frost-free and lightly moist, such as an unheated conservatory or at a basement window.
• Move them into beds or large containers after the last frosts.

Gardeners who start dahlias in March can, depending on the region, expect the first blooms as early as June. Tubers planted directly outdoors without being started beforehand generally take considerably longer, often only coming into their own in high summer.

Begonias: a solution for shady corners and north-facing balconies

Shady positions are often seen as difficult areas. Tuberous begonias, however, excel in exactly these conditions. They cope with little direct sunshine and keep flowering as long as they are watered regularly.

How to plant them in March:

• Place the tubers shallowly in trays or pots, with the slightly rounded side facing upwards.
• Cover lightly with loose compost, leaving the upper section just visible.
• Choose a bright, frost-free position away from intense midday sun behind glass.
• Keep the growing medium evenly moist, while avoiding waterlogging.

Begonias are ideal for window boxes, hanging baskets and the front edge of shady borders. Their almost continuous flowering from early summer to autumn reliably compensates for gaps in colour left by other plants.

Lilies: tall flower stems for impact and gap-filling

Lilies act like living exclamation marks in a border. Their upright stems and often strongly scented flowers rise above lower perennials, elegantly filling otherwise empty spaces.

For March planting, follow these basic guidelines:

Combining different types of lily extends the flowering season over many weeks. Early-flowering varieties bridge the period after spring bulbs, while later forms carry the display through until autumn asters take over.

Peonies: March marks the beginning of years of flowering pleasure

Peonies, often called Paeonia in plant catalogues, only partly solve an immediate flowering shortage in their first year. They often need two to three years to reach their full splendour. Even so, planting them in March is one of the most worthwhile investments for an ornamental garden.

“A well-established peony can remain in the same spot for decades and deliver a small firework display of large, often fragrant blooms every spring.”

Key planting points:

• Do not plant too deeply – the “eyes” or growth buds should sit only a few centimetres beneath the surface.
• Select a site with free-draining, nutrient-rich soil and no waterlogging.
• Peonies prefer to be left undisturbed, and do not respond well to being moved later.

Planting one or more peonies this March will not instantly fill the current flowering gap, but it will ensure that the same gap becomes smaller with every coming year.

How the planting plan closes the garden’s “colourless” period

The success of the plan lies in combining all four plants thoughtfully. Their flowering periods overlap like runners passing a baton:

• Spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils provide colour until April/May.
• Early lilies and pre-started dahlias take over in June.
• Begonias bring continuous flowers to balconies and border edges from early summer until autumn.
• Late dahlias and lilies continue until the first frosts arrive.

This combination reduces the familiar quiet weeks when little seems to be happening in the garden. Even modest spaces benefit greatly: a single container of dahlias, a window box of begonias and several lily bulbs among perennial plants can noticeably transform the overall effect.

Practical tips: position, soil and reducing risk

For this plan to work, a few practical details matter more than expensive specialist varieties. The three main considerations are frost protection, drainage and watering.

• Keep an eye on frost risk: Night frosts are still possible in March. Pre-started tubers should stay protected until after the last frosts, while lily bulbs generally tolerate light cold once in the ground.
• Avoid waterlogging: Dahlia and begonia tubers in particular rot easily if they sit in wet soil for extended periods. Drainage holes and a drainage layer in pots are helpful.
• Water regularly but sparingly: Newly planted bulbs must not dry out, but they do not need a “constant shower”. Testing the soil with a finger helps prevent mistakes.

Anyone uncertain can begin with a small number of plants and build up their collection over subsequent years. Many gardeners develop their sequence of flowering plants gradually rather than trying to achieve everything in one season.

Why the work done in March pays off over time

March may initially seem an unremarkable planting month: it is still cool outside and the gardening year is only slowly beginning. That is exactly where its advantage lies. Tasks completed now pay off many times over, both visually and financially.

Bulbs and tubers can often be bought more cheaply than plants that are already flowering in summer. Many types, including lilies and peonies, also remain in the ground for years and need very little maintenance. Even dahlia tubers can be lifted for winter storage and started again the following March.

Gardeners who consistently take advantage of this head start experience early summer very differently: instead of pale beds after spring, an uninterrupted wave of blooms follows. This is precisely why more and more amateur gardeners are choosing a manageable amount of work in March, so they are not faced with empty borders in June, July and August.