March/April colour and neglected bulbs!

[Flapjack]

Hi all

I have a bit of a border situation and could do with some advice from more experienced flower growers (I can do veg but am a complete flower newbie!)

We have finally created our borders after a year of gutting the garden on and off but now, just when it looks really bare, we are having to put the house on the market :s

We've put in various bare-root shrubs and a few fruit trees but the borders are otherwise completely empty We're putting the house on the market end of March/start of April and I'm happy to shell out for some plugs / plants but despite extensive googling, I'm struggling to find anything that will be in flower early enough for the estate agent's photos and viewings.

I wish we'd managed to get our bulbs in last autumn (they were dug up last summer) but they are still sat in the shed They have all sprouted a few inches in their carrier bag (oh the shame)...will they survive until next autumn? Should I shove them in now and hope for the best?

Or can anyone suggest any bedding I can get that will be in flower by the end of march/start of April?

I'd be really grateful for any help - we have messed up a bit with our timing here but needs must I'm afraid!
Michelle

[rustylady]

Put your bulbs in now. They won't survive another year in a bag in the shed.

[Nicos]

You could go round the charity shops looking for old silk and plastic flowers- just put them in tubs for the garden piccies
Also coloured pots which you can take with you.
Yup- plant out the bulbs now- they'll be fine- if they flower it'll be later than normal- but should be OK for the following year.
Pansies should be in flower then- choose yellow ones as they will be seen from a distance and feel very spring like

One tip I picked up when we put our house on the market was to make sure there were tubs of flowers by the front door- sort of goes hand in hand with the warm welcome of 'the smell of coffee/ warm bread' idea

[rustylady]

Another thought, primroses! And/or pansies.

[Flapjack]

Thanks everyone! If I plant pansy plugs now (like these Pansy Frizzle Sizzle - 150 Rhino Plugs | Garden Bargains) will they flower this march? Or not until Autumn?

What about these: Viola Spring Mix - 18 Plants | Garden Bargains
or these: Primrose Spring Mix - 18 Plants in 9cm Pots (Mixed Colours) | Garden Bargains

Michelle

[Nicos]

I'd certainly go for the primroses.
tbh- my gut feeling is that the other two will be too small...we're talking end of March?- well that's only 8/9 weeks away..and it could be freezing between now and then- with very little plant growth

You could get a shrub or two at those prices- with red leaves/stems- or something otherwise attractive- and pop it in the ground in a pot- then agree to take them with you when you go.

Just a thought.

[Two_Sheds]

We have finally created our borders [and] are having to put the house on the market :s

I wouldn't put too much more work in. The new owners will nearly always want to change what you've done, and most people see gardens as too much work anyway: they'd rather have a concrete parking lot.
tbh, I'd rather buy bare beds that I could design myself, rather than have to dig out someone else's shrubs first.

My local plant stall, and the market, has loads of cheap n cheerfuls to plant right now: pansies, prims etc.
Just get a few and plant them up near the entrance to make it look cared for.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Pansies, primulas and wallflower for me

[Gearoid]

Primroses/primulas and sweet william. You should also be able to get daffodils and tulips growing in containers at the garden centre.

And, of course, violas. I love little violas, they always put on a great show.

[Flapjack]

Thanks everyone!!