Some years it seems utterly mad to start thinking about spring bulbs when you’re sweltering in the summer heat, but this summer has definitely been on the chilly side and the bulb catalogues have been arriving for weeks, so this year it seems sensible to tackle them now. The long-range forecast is for a cold, dry winter (mind you, the long- range forecast was for a heatwave at the end of July), so it seems sensible to have as many bulbs as possible in the ground to cheer us up over the dark days ahead.

Don’t buy your bulbs from the supermarket or from the local DIY shed; their prices may look cheap, but the bulbs tend to be from a limited range and, in my experience, are on the small and shrivelled side with a high failure rate. Being exhibited in brightly lit, heated shops is the worst thing that can happen to a bulb. Buy from your local nursery where the display should be fresher, having been carefully stored. Or try buying from a mail order company or online.

My first port of call for spring bulbs is usually the Clare Bulb Company (01787 277441, http://www.clare-bulbs.co.uk)./ Their list is not glossy and there are no pretty pictures (except on the website), but they have an excellent, personal range of tried-and-tested varieties.

The bulbs are always top quality, fresh and very healthy and the service is efficient and friendly. Your order comes packed in hand-labelled paper bags with an instruction sheet telling you how deep to plant them. For damp soil, try their Camassia and fritillaries; for scented indoor bulbs over Christmas order their prepared white narcissi and hyacinths; for an impressive display of allium pom-poms in the border, try Allium Schubertii and Purple Sensation.

And, most useful of all, they make it easy to have hundreds of days of colour in your garden by listing the varieties of daffodils to plant, starting with February Gold and ending with Actaea, and a separate list of tulips. This simple idea means there is always something to look forward to, which is the whole point of spring bulbs.

Some schools offer supplies from The Bulb Man (01344 876542, http://www.bulbman.co.uk)/ which has top-quality, fresh bulbs that grow into big, vigorous plants.

If you want something different, try Rare Plants (01978 366399, http://www.rareplants.co.uk)/ for anything from rhizomes of the dear little Mouse Plant (which looks as though a mouse is trying to hide inside the flower) to the impressive Californian Firecracker (Dichelostemma ida-maia) which has been described as one of the miracles of the bulb world). Added by Andy Bone: Also available from the Clare Bulb Co!

14 August 2005