RHS Garden Curators pick their best bulbs

Bulbs are not perhaps the most pretty or exciting-looking structures, with their brown, knobbly forms, but imagine the first time someone saw a bulb flower poke its head through the snow and shine like a jewel. How astonished they must have been to realise it was growing from such a non-descript-looking lump. 

Bulbs back in time

Planting

These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.

A burst of joyful sunshine in the bulb displays at RHS Bridgewater

Bulbs in the RHS Gardens

The creative teams at the RHS Gardens around the UK plant beautiful selections of bulbs each year as well as maintaining the existing bulbs and enhancing them with new combinations. Here are some of their top picks:

Curatorial team, RHS Garden Wisley

“At RHS Wisley we have a wide range of bulbs, through both meadows and borders, perhaps most famously the Narcissus bulbocodium through the Alpine Meadow which appear by their thousands in March. One of our favourite bulb combinations is the crocus mix on the Conifer Lawn, which is made up of three cultivars: Joan of Arc (white), Flower Record (purple) and Pickwick (white and purple striped).”

Paul Cook, Curator RHS Garden Harlow Carr

“The container bulb displays at RHS Harlow Carr start in late winter and keep colour and interest right through until the summer displays are ready to kick in. The milder winter climate has pushed the early daffodils to flower in January, while the late tulip varieties are keeping the displays fresh until the end of May.

My favourite layered combination is Tulip ‘Apricot Beauty’, Narcissus ‘Cha Cha’ and Bellevalia pycnantha, but I also love the traditional wallflower ‘Primrose Bedder’ with Tulip ‘White Triumphator’.”

Bulbs in containers at RHS Gardens

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RHS Garden Rosemoor, Tulips in pots by the Cottage Garden shelter

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RHS Garden Wisley

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Tulipa 'Paul Scherer' with Tulipa 'Crossfire' and Tulipa 'Lambada' in the Hot Garden at RHS Garden Rosemoor

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RHS Garden Rosemoor, Tulips in pots by the Cottage Garden shelter

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RHS Garden Wisley

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Tulipa 'Paul Scherer' with Tulipa 'Crossfire' and Tulipa 'Lambada' in the Hot Garden at RHS Garden Rosemoor

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Jonathan Webster, Curator RHS Garden Rosemoor

“At RHS Rosemoor we have planted drifts of crocus in the Arboretum and use Hyacinths in new, exciting winter and spring bedding designs. These include varieties such as H.‘China Pink’, H.‘Blue Jacket’ and H.‘Woodstock’. In total, over 34,000 bulbs have been planted.”

Robert Brett, Curator RHS Garden Hyde Hall

“Spring could be said to be all about the bulbs and for RHS Hyde Hall we continue to plant year on year, helping to expand and deliver our wide-ranging spring bulb offer. From the early snowdrops to the memorable daffodils to the vibrant tulips, the delight is there to be seen, in the landscape, in drifts or in pots.”

Narcissi and Fritillaria at RHS Garden Bridgewater

Marcus Chilton-Jones, Curator RHS Garden Bridgewater

“At RHS Bridgewater, we’ve designed a joyous cacophony of bulb combinations which we hope will bring a smile to everyone’s faces. In Rhubarb Alley we have Narcissus from February through to May – ‘Riynvelds Early’, ‘February Gold’, ‘Cheerfulness’ and ‘Dutch Master’. In the Hot Border, tulips in bright colours will set this area alight – ‘Sunny Prince’, ‘Big Smile’ and ‘Kingsblood’. You’ll also find bulbs in pots around the garden to give you lots of inspiration.”

RHS Garden Rosemoor - Curator Jonathan’s favourite combination of Prunus ‘Pink Shell’ and Narcissus ‘Rosemoor Gold’

A Greek tale

In Greek mythology, Narcissi (usually known as daffodils), were said to be named after a vane young man who fell in love with his own reflection and spurned the nymph Echo. He was punished by the Goddess Nemesis, who turned him into a flower - the narcissus.

• Read more about the fascinating story of the daffodil in our Lindley Library collection.

Listen to the Gardening with the RHS podcast

You can also enjoy bulbs at RHS Partner Gardens, including:

Exbury Gardens, Hampshire for Narcissi in March – free in March
Forde Abbey in Somerset – amazing narcissi, tulips and other naturalised bulbs – free in March, then on Mondays, Apr - Oct
Dunrobin Castle, Scotland (includes Scottish snowdrop festival) - free all year
Cambo Gardens, Scotland – most famous for snowdrops but these are followed by all other bulbs - free all year
Doddington Hall, Lincoln – all the bulbs and cherry blossom in April – the gardens are free to members apart from 20 July - 1 Sept 2024
Bridgemere Show Gardens, Cheshire  - all bulbs in a series of compact show gardens - free all year, but free Mon-Fri only from January 2024
Lovell Quinta Arboretum – Snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils naturalised in the grass  - free all spring

• Buy bulbs online at RHS plants
• See inspirational bulb displays at the RHS Shows