You can’t say you’ve haven’t had the opportunity, the weather’s been fairly kind, in between torrential downpours, leaving the ground still soft, warm and workable.

So why is there still a pile of tulip bulbs on the side in the shed? Well that’s deliberate of course!

Because now is really the best time for getting your tulips in, later planting recommended to help reduce problems with tulip fire.

Tulip fire is a fungus that causes brown spots and distorts and twists the leaves, the only control for this being to remove infected bulbs and to avoid replanting in the same site for at least three years.

Originating from Turkey, tulips (Tulipa) were imported to Holland in the sixteenth century with Carolus Clusius writing the first major book about them in 1592 and increasing their popularity significantly.

By the mid-seventeeth century they were so popular that bulbs were being used as money it was “Tulip Mania” until the market for them crashed.

Any pictures you will have seen of tulips in Holland will probably be of Keukenhof, which is the largest flower garden in the world. I really must get over to see the tulip festival, which is held from late April in the middle of the tulip fields.

What a fantastic sight it must be.

Because of their warm origins tulips prefer good drainage and a warm sunny site. If planting in the border aim to plant in groups of at least six, the more you can group together the better with 25-50 bulbs making an impressive display when they flower from March to May.

Planting depth as a guide is two to three times the depth of the bulb size. A 5cm high bulb should be planted 10-15cm deep.

Pop your bulb, which should have no signs of decay, in the hole with the shoot or nose pointing upwards and space them at least twice the bulb width apart.

Replace soil in the hole and firm, but avoid treading on the soil if possible.

If planting in containers, use three parts multi purpose compost with one part grit. Plant three times their depth and one bulb width apart. Water when actively growing. Feed every week with tomato feed from when shoots appear.