I'm a gardening pro – do my essential £2.49 Home Bargains hack now to bring your bulbs back next year
Your daffodils need deadheading, while your tulips are probably nearing the end.
2
What we'd all like our tulips to look like in the Spring
Credit: Getty
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Deadheading daffodils is a way of boosting the bulb for next year
Credit: Getty
And instead of gorgeous bright blooms filling your outside space with colour, chances are that by now that bank of bulbs could look a bit past its peak.
It begs the question though - what DO you do with all those straggly, half munched leaves making a mess in your beds?
What you DON'T want to do - is cut away all the green leaves from your
It may look like they're over it - but they're actually creating energy to store in the bulb and packing it with nutrients - to make sure it can go again next year.
And make sure you definitely deadhead - this stops both tulips and daffodils from wasting time making seeds - and helps them focus on the bulb itself.
Some experts recommend plaiting the leaves - so at least they're tidy while they're soaking up the sun.
I've done this - its actually a really mindful exercise, and at least makes it look tidy if nothing else.
And others reckon you should dig up the bulbs to store until they need planting again.
Most read in Fabulous
I've never done this - life's too short and I don't have the space to store them.
However there is a key handy hack you can do right now - which should boost the bulbs energy levels in the hope they'll bless you with a 2026 showgarden.
Gardener shares 'genius' bulb planting hack that will give your months of spring flowers & it takes seconds to do
Give them a decent dose of liquid feed this weekend - ideally a high potassium fertiliser - but any liquid feed will do.
It contains seaweed, which is a great addition to any plant feed.
Just give them a regular dose until the foliage has completely died out - and you're giving them the best chance to return again next year.
Once the leaves have yellowed, you can get stuck in - they should come away in your hands really easily.
And then just pray to the bulb Gods that they'll come back to bless you next year.
ALSO IN VERONICA'S COLUMN THIS WEEK
Best Gardening tech, plus competitions and a chance to win £1000 of Gardena producs and £370 of VEg Trugs thanks to Robert Dyas
PUT down those measuring tapes and get rid of the Garden Design books - the plant tech revolution has arrived.
Designer and Your Garden Made Perfect presenter
And the
Here's some of the best other high street innovations.
helps you plan your veg patches, find the best crops and companion plants for your climate and location - and sets timely reminders.
offers instant plant solutions. You can map out your bed and aspect, use its soil ID tech, and then rely on its algorithm to come up with a list of plants that will thrive - and where to buy them.
Literally point the phone at a plant in a garden centre and ask Gemini Live - in real time - questions like: 'is this good for my south facing garden - and if not, which similar plants would work.'
Show it a struggling specimen and ask it what's wrong - or even use the Pixel Studio app to visualise how that piece of garden furniture you're hankering after, would fit in your outside space.
Stick this nifty little gadget into your houseplant pot - set up the app - and the pebble will alert you to when attention is needed on water levels, light exposure, temperature and nutrient needs.
operates their mower from an app - where you can measure out your garden using Google maps to help it move between different areas with ease - and it won't kill any hedgehogs. .
IRRIGATION
There's lots of smart water timers out there that allow you to take control of irrigating your garden - with just an app and a box you attach to your outside tap. But
NEWS!
GROW-your-own gardening expert,
Launched with the support of
The main awards include Best Allotment, Best Garden Plot and Best New Plot - a plot started in the past 12 months, From these, the overall winner will be crowned Plot of the Year.
Plus there's additional recognition for Kids on the Plot, Best Small Plot - such as a windowsill garden, Biodiversity on the Plot, and Best Community Plot.
The main competition prize is £1,000 worth of GARDENA products and gardening vouchers, as well as a champion's plaque.
For more information visit
NEWS!
Ambassador for
The 2025 UK School Gardening Tour will bring hands on gardening experiences to schools across the country, highlighting its benefits for sustainability, mental well-being and education. It will include interactive workshops - and showcase how outdoor learning supports subjects like science and maths.
'The tour will show kids that growing their own plants isn't just fun, it's a skill for life' he told Sun Gardening.
For more information visit
WIN!
Robert Dyas is offering one lucky reader the chance to win nearly £370 worth of
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