8 Mistakes That Ruin Spring Bulbs, and How to Plant Yours Right This Week

Every daffodil and tulip bulb you buy this autumn already holds next spring's flower. Cut one in half and you can see it: a tiny bud, formed during the summer, wrapped in layers of stored food. Your job between now and March is not to make that flower. Your job is to give the bulb roots, water and protection, then stay out of its way.

This week sits at the hinge of the bulb season. The soil is still warm enough for daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and alliums to put down roots before winter, and the colder nights now arriving make it nearly time for tulips. Most disappointing spring displays come down to a handful of mistakes made in the next fortnight. These are the eight that do the most damage.

1. Shallow planting leaves bulbs dry, loose and floppy