Why bulbs love a coastal garden

Coastal gardens get a rough deal from the weather. Salt-laden winds scorch tender leaves, sandy soils drain in minutes and late spring gales can flatten anything that dares to grow tall. Yet the same conditions that make life difficult for fussy perennials suit hardy bulbs down to the ground. Most of them evolved on rocky hillsides and mountain meadows, where drainage is sharp, competition is low and winters are cold. Give them a sunny, free-draining spot and they will settle in and multiply year after year.

There is another advantage. Bulbs do their growing in late winter and early spring, before the worst of the wind and before the garden fills up with foliage. By the time the salt spray and dry summer arrive, most have finished flowering and retreated underground. If your plot sits within sight or sound of the sea, autumn-planted bulbs are the most reliable colour you can buy.

Start with daffodils, the coastal workhorse

Nothing naturalises better in a windswept garden than Narcissus. They shrug off salt, tolerate sandy soil and come back bigger each spring. For a natural look in rough grass, choose small-flowered types close to the wild Lent lily, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, our native daffodil. It is dainty, pale yellow and utterly at home among tussocky grass or beneath a wind-bent hawthorn.

For something with more presence, try these:

• 'Carlton' – big, golden, cheap in bulk and famously long-lived.
• 'Thalia' – elegant white, two or three blooms per stem, sweetly scented.
• 'Jetfire' – small, wind-resistant and early, with orange trumpets.
• Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus – late, fragrant and lovely in grass you cannot mow until June.

Plant them in September and October so roots form before the cold bites. Whether you're in Cornwall or Caithness, the rule is the same: three times the bulb's own depth. For most daffodils, that means 10–15cm deep and roughly 10cm apart, deeper in sandy soil where the ground dries quickly.

Alliums for late spring and early summer

Alliums bridge the gap after the daffodils fade and before the herbaceous border gets going. Their stiff stems and spherical heads stand up to wind far better than delphiniums or lupins, and the bees adore them. They also prefer exactly what the coast provides: full sun and sharp drainage.

• Allium 'Purple Sensation' – deep violet globes on 90cm stems.
• Allium sphaerocephalon – drumstick allium, small and wonderfully wind-proof.
• Allium christophii – huge, starry heads that dry beautifully indoors.

Alliums hate sitting wet. On heavy clay, fork in grit or horticultural sand to a spade's depth before planting, or grow them in raised beds and large pots. Set them 15cm deep and 20–25cm apart so the foliage has room to ripen. Leave the dying leaves in place for six weeks after flowering; that is what feeds next year's bulb.

Native and near-native choices for a wilder look

A coastal garden can look wonderfully natural with a few British natives woven in. Snake's head fritillary (Fritillaria mea

agris) enjoys damp meadows but will grow in any soil that stays moist in spring, and its chequered bells are a joy. Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) naturalise beautifully under deciduous trees and shrubs, especially where salt spray is tempered by shelter. Plant them in the green or as bulbs in autumn, and never mix them with the coarse Spanish bluebell, which hybridises and swamps the native.

Add wild garlic (Allium ursinum) for shady, damp corners – the white starry flowers arrive with the bluebells and the leaves make excellent soup. For drier, sunnier spots, sea thrift and sea campion are not bulbs, but they earn their place as native companions that knit the planting together.

Planting, shelter and the squirrel problem

Autumn planting is simple but a few details make the difference between a good display and a patchy one.

• Plant in September and October, while the soil is still warm. Late planting means small, short-lived flowers.
• Choose a sunny spot with at least six hours of light, ideally on the sheltered side of a hedge or wall.
• Improve sandy soil with well-rotted compost or leaf mould to hold a little moisture.
• Water bulbs in after planting, then leave them alone unless the autumn is very dry.
• Mulch with gravel or sharp grit. It suppresses weeds, keeps the bulbs cool and deters squirrels.
• Where squirrels and mice are a nuisance, plant deeper than usual, lay chicken wire over the bed and weight it down, or try a sprinkle of chilli powder.

In exposed gardens, avoid staking everything. Instead, plant in generous drifts so the bulbs shelter one another, and tuck low-growing evergreens such as lavender or santolina in front to break the wind.

Getting the best from them year after year

Naturalising is not complicated, but it does require patience. After flowering, deadhead the daffodils so they do not waste energy on seed, but leave the leaves completely alone for at least six weeks. They will yellow, flop and look untidy; this is the price of next spring's show. In grass, that means no mowing until the foliage has died back, usually early June. Alliums follow the same rule.

Feed established clumps with a low-nitrogen bulb fertiliser as the shoots break through the soil, and top-dress with compost in autumn. Lift and divide congested clumps every three or four years, replanting the offsets straight away. Watch for the narcissus bulb fly, which leaves a small hole in the base of the bulb – destroy affected bulbs and never replant them.

Get the first autumn right and your coastal garden will reward you every March, long before the wind has dropped and the rest of the garden has woken up.