Life

A new planting timetable for shifting seasons

You can still plant garlic and other bulbs. Picture by Thinkstock/PA
You can still plant garlic and other bulbs. Picture by Thinkstock/PA You can still plant garlic and other bulbs. Picture by Thinkstock/PA

AS yet I've no data to support my assertion but the past six months have arguably been the best period of weather in my lifetime so far - and we're talking five-and-a-half decades-plus here.

There's been comparatively little rain and plenty of summer sunshine, which continued well into autumn.

I've been especially attuned to the weather because ironically on the handful of occasions since July that my wife and I have ventured away from home, it's been bad, whether it was Scotland, Mayo, Wicklow or Fermanagh.

Before we depart, it's dry and the skies are clear, yet when we arrive there's always low cloud, intermittent rain and often strong winds. Typically of course, once we return home the weather settles again with the unseasonal mildness and bright days continuing.

It's only in this past week that temperatures have dropped and become more wintry. This is welcome, as a prolonged cold spell will help rid the garden of many latent pests and diseases that thrive in warmer climes. The extreme cold is also good for breaking up the ground and aerating the soil.

The fact that the mercury didn't drop significantly until close to the end of November supports the theory that our seasons are shifting under the effects of climate change.

Couple this year's Indian summer with recent cold springs and you start a see a pattern where the seasons are increasingly arriving later.

This may have many implications for the garden though one potential positive is that it gives us more time to plant bulbs. Once upon a time September and October were earmarked as the best months for bulb-planting but every year it seems you can go longer and later - and sometimes even beyond the new year.

Unfortunately, the outlets that sell the bulbs have yet to adjust to the new seasonal regime, so while there may still be ample time to plant your daffodils, crocuses, tulips, snowdrops and bluebells, sourcing them at this time of year is another matter.

Bulbs are an easy and effective way to bring life and colour to your garden relatively early in the year. They are a stop gap ahead of the more voluminous herbaceous perennials that dominate our beds and borders over summer.

A bulb is essentially a self-contained, ready-made plant package that needs only the smallest bit of encouragement to grow. It's a category that covers corms, rhizomes, tubers and true bulbs, and while there may be differences in appearance, the characteristics are generally the same.

And bulbs aren't exclusive to the ornamental garden, as members of the allium family like onions and garlic, will flourish under the same conditions as their more eye-catching counterparts.

A so-called bulb of garlic will give you a dozen or more cloves, which can be planted individually before quietly transforming over the next six-to-eight months.

The brief is the same whether edible or ornamental - always choose a bulb that is firm and of a good size, avoiding those that are soft to touch or have sprouting tops. Likewise, avoid anything that's mouldy or shows signs of rotting.

Plant in free-draining soil at approximately two-and-a-half times their own depth. Onions and garlic can have their uppermost tips showing but be wary of birds, who often pull them up before discarding them after finding the bulb unpalatable.

Once planted safely and securely, you simply let nature do its work.