Top 10 Bulbs & Corms for Summer Colour

The advantage of using summer-flowering bulbs and corms is that they need very little space at a time when there is fierce competition in the border, but they can provide a big pop of colour. This is useful to complement other plants or to fill in flowering gaps as one ends and another gets going. If you grow them in pots for the first year, you can stand the plants in the garden to see if you are happy with the chosen position. Once you are satisfied they are in the right place, you can plant them.

Acidanthera murielae

Also sold as Gladiolus murielae, this is a highly fragrant perennial with tall stems bearing a white flower with a deep purple throat. Grow in a deep container or in the border, in a sunny position with shelter from cold winds. Flowers late summer into the autumn.

Allium

The summer-flowering ornamental onions, like the earlier ones, come in a range of sizes. The tallest grow to 1.8m (5ft) high, so are really only suited to growing in a border. The spherical flower heads are attractive to insects and look good even after the flowers fade, although they can be cut for use indoors. Ideal for a hot, sunny position.

Babiana

These bulbs are usually sold in a selection of mixed colours and are best planted as a clump so the freesia-like flowers can be enjoyed together. They grow well in a sunny or lightly-shaded spot and flower in late spring or early summer, in shades of purple, blue, pink and white.

Camassia

Ideal for the border or for naturalising in grass, Camassias have 1m (3ft) tall spires of star-shaped flowers in white or shades of blue or pink. They like moist, but never waterlogged, soil and will tolerate sun or light shade. The flowers may appear from late spring into summer, depending on variety.

Crinum x powellii

There are a number of species of Crinum, flowering red, pink or white during the summer months. They have strap-like leaves and tall flower stems bearing an open cluster of fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers. Prefers moist, but never waterlogged, soil and full sun. Plant with the top of the bulb above the soil.

Gladiolus

As well as the big, bold hybrids we know for cut flowers, there are many smaller species that are ideal for containers or the front of a border. They prefer a sunny site with slightly acidic soil.

Ixia

Known as "African corn lily" or “wand flower”, these bulbs may be sold as single colours or a mixed collection. They are suitable for the border or containers, are good as cut flowers and enjoy being in full sun. Flower colours include white, yellow, pink, apricot and red.

Liatris spicata

These late-summer bloomers have grass-like foliage and fuzzy, bottlebrush-like purple-pink flowers. Ideal for borders, pots or naturalising. They need a sunny or part-shaded position with well-drained soil.

Lilies

There are many species and hybrids of lilies, in a wide range of colours, shapes and sizes. Most are highly fragrant and ideal for growing in pots or the border. They like sun or part-shade and flower best when well cared for and fed from flowering time until they die down.

Sparaxis tricolor

The "harlequin flower" forms a fan of slender leaves and prefers a warm, well-drained spot outdoors. It is ideal for container growing, so the pot can be kept dry when the corms are dormant. The wide, funnel-shaped flowers are orange and purple with yellow centres.