With your autumn varieties safely tucked underground, it is now time to plan and prepare for your spring bulbs, both in the garden to flower naturally and in pots to force for winter enjoyment indoors.

Now is the season to . . .  

Finish lifting and drying tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other spring-flowering bulbs that are dying down in borders or were heeled in a spare ground by early August. Store them in a cool, dry place until planting time.

Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of bulbs that failed to flower in spring. Discard them if they show signs of disease. You can also lift and divide three or four-year old clumps of spring-flowering bulbs and reserve some of the largest for putting up to flower indoors.

Water recently planted bulbs in a dry season, especially those in containers or close to walls, and species such as galtonias that come from the regions of high summer rainfall. A light mulch after watering helps keep the ground moist.

Feed summer flowering bulbs in containers while they are in bloom and for three to four weeks afterwards.

Cut gladioli spikes low down the stem when the bottom flower is almost fully open and feed plants every seven to fourteen days with a high-potash fertiliser to encourage more blooms. The cut spikes will continue to bloom indoors.

Deadhead and stake dahlias and thin buds for larger flowers. Continue feeding regularly, using only high-postash feeds from mid-August onwards.

Plan spring bulb displays and send off mail orders as soon as possible. From late August an increasingly diverse selection will be available in large garden centres but these will be more expensive.

Begin planting spring bulbs outdoor, starting in late August with daffodils, muscari and erythroniums, followed in September with most other kinds. Tulips are best left until November, as earlier planting only encourages diseases such a tulip fire.

Consider naturalising patches of spring bulk in your lawn

Begin potting up prepared bulbs in early September to flower over Christmas and the New Year 

Pot up arum lilies from early September for winter flowering under glass

Collect lily bulbils – dark, immature bulbs growing at the base of the leaves – and plant them 2-3 cm (1 in) apart in trays of compost in a coldframe or under glass.

Check lilies for lily beetle, signs of virus and other symptoms of pests and disease.

And if you have time ..

Plant autumn flowering bulbs like colchicums and autumn crocuses. Try to complete planting before the end of august.

Feed autumn flowering bulbs naturalised in grass with bone meal, applied once during august at 65g per m2 (2oz per sq yd), or with a high-potash fertiliser at recommended rates.

Collect seeds of spring and summer bulbs and sow immediately in pots or trays, or outdoors in rows in a spare bed. Sow ripe lily seeds now, or keep them cold in the fridge and sow next spring.

Foliar feed dahlias using a general fertiliser, to boost late growth and flowering.

Buying and planting bulbs Whether you buy bulbs from a garden centre or by mail-order, plant them as soon as possible after delivery. Erythroniums, trilliums and other bulbs without a skin or 'tunic' should be kept in moist bark or compost. The best flowers come from the biggest bulbs, so if your bulb catalogue offers a range of sizes, choose the largest you can afford. However, the lower grade or 'second-size' bulbs are more economical in naturalising in large quantities.

Growing bulbs near trees and hedges Although most bulbs prefer to grow in full sun, some kinds are unaffected by, and even appreciate, the shade cast by deciduous trees and hedge. They have usually adapted to woodland conditions by producing flowers or foliage before the tree leaves open and cast shade, or by manufacturing food slowing and wilting if light and heat levels become to intense. Other bulbs grow happily anywhere, but their flowers often last longer out of bright sunshine.

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