Summer flowering bulbs are available to purchase in-store and online now.
Bulbs are not just for spring! It’s a common misconception that we only get bulbs blooming in our gardens in spring, when in fact there is a whole host of beautiful blooms that are from summer bulbs.
Planting summer bulbs in the spring will ensure a blooming wonderful display of colour for you to sit back and enjoy during the summer months. With a little bit of planning, you will be rewarded with blooms from late spring right through to autumn. If you’d rather keep things simple, choose one type of bulb but stagger the planting times, adding more each month.
If you’re planting in borders, we recommend planting in groups of at least six for a good display of colour. Most bulbs are happy growing in containers, brightening up even the smallest of outdoor spaces.
There’s no set date that’s best for planting summer flowering bulbs but a general rule is once the soil has dried out and the risk of frost has passed. Alternatively, you can plant bulbs in containers now but keep them indoors until the weather warms up. Don’t forget to pick up a bulb planter, not only will it make the job easier and cleaner but a bulb planter will also ensure you’re planting each bulb at the correct depth.
We’ve listed some of our favourite summer flowering bulb categories below, along with their flowering month to make planning your summer colour spectacular a little easier.
Please note, we have a wide range of summer flowering bulbs at The Gardener’s Garden Centre, Wych Cross and Potted Garden only. The varieties listed below are available online, varieties in-store will vary in these sites and are subject to availability. Coolings Lifestyle does not stock summer flowering bulbs.
- Originating from South Africa, Agapanthus are free flowering, with loose clusters of flowers in rich intense blue, white or with some varieties a mix of the two colours. The gorgeous trumpet-shaped blooms sit atop slender stalks, with arching, broad strap-shaped foliage at the base. Spectacular when planted in bigger swathes.
- Long flowering period.
- Flowers June/July through the summer.
Pictured: Taylors Agapanthus Dr Brouwer (250478) £2.99
- Crocosmia are multi flowered perennials that come in a range of fiery colours.
- Easy to grow, thrive in a range of soil types and will grow in sun or partial shade.
- Flower all summer long.
Pictured: Taylors Crocosmia ‘Emily Mckenzie’ (222668) £3.99
- Dahlias are grown from tubers.
- Famous for their impressive blooms in a variety of vivid colours and different bloom types, dahlias are unrivalled for giving a showy display. Try growing in rows to give lots of cut flowers for your home.
- Flowers from mid-July through to autumn.
Pictured: Kapiteyn Dahlia ‘Crazy Love’ (217950) £3.99
- Scent, scale and drama! Available in a range of types and sizes, they make a stunning focal point and exude a timeless charm with delicate petals and captivating colours.
- Flowers from early summer to autumn.
Pictured: Simple Pleasures Lilium ‘Monte Negro’ (306521) £4.49
- Create a taste of the tropics with Canna. With flashy blooms and dramatic foliage, Canna are dramatic and eye-catching. Tender perennials that produce bold leaves and flowers in reds, yellows, oranges and pinks.
- Technically, the roots of cannas are rhizomes, but they are commonly referred to as bulbs because the root structure closely resembles that of a classic plant bulb. Can grow up to 6ft.
- Flowers throughout the season – June to October.
Pictured: Taylors Canna Sol Happy Carmen (292517) £3.99
- Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, bears arching racemes of bell-shaped, white flowers with an extremely rich perfume, from late spring.
- Planting period: May – September.
- Place in well drained soil. Dappled shade to full sun.
- Makes an excellent cut flower.
- Flowers May – July.
Pictured: Prins Convallaria Lily of the Valley (257548) £3.99
7. Gladiolus
- Flowering plants part of the iris family. It is sometimes called the ‘sword lily’.
- Tall stalks of trumpet-shaped blooms that fill gardens in summer with an array of beautiful, bright colours.
- Make beautiful cut flowers with their velvety petals.
- Attract lots of pollinators like bees and butterflies to your garden.
- They can grow up to 1.8 metres tall so best placed in the middle of your borders.
- Flowers July – September.
Pictured: Prins Gladioli Giant Flowering Mixed (278414) £3.99
- The flowers stand up to the weather really well which is why they have become a favourite of parks departments over the years.
- You can start the corms off indoors as early as February.
- Begonias put on a stunning show in beds, pots and hanging baskets.
- Flower from June then throughout the summer.
- Although technically Nerines are late summer flowering members of the Amaryllis family, we thought they were too beautiful to leave out! ‘Firework’ shape blooms that come in vibrant and pastel colours, provide effortless colour! Showy blooms come in shades of pink, red and white.
- Patience maybe required as Nerines do not always flower in their first year after planting.
- Flowers late-summer and lasts into the autumn – with a long flowering period.
Pictured: Nerine bowdenii (250468) £4.99
- We love these summer flowering bulb pre-packed colour themes. Combinations of bulbs in themed colours ideal for attracting bees and butterflies.
- Available in salmon & orange, red & white, and white & blue. Priced at £14.99 each.
- Flower July to October.
Pictured: Kapiteyn Blooms Bees Butterflies Garden Violet-Pink (228956) £14.99
