I'm a gardening pro – do my essential £2.49 Home Bargains hack now to bring your bulbs back next year

The Irish Sun

03-05-2025

It's that tricky time between spring and summer bulbs.
Your daffodils need deadheading, while your tulips are probably nearing the end.
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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.
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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.
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