Following the long hard months of winter, the frosts and the dark, it’s time to expect a bit of colour and excitement from the world around us. For gardening enthusiasts there’s nothing more exciting than seeing the first buds of spring blossom and bloom into a fantastic display of colour and shapes. This is our reward for stresses and strains of the last year and determines if we put enough effort and planning into our spring displays.

The best time to get a jump on your spring garden preparations between November and December, this is also the best time to plant your spring bulbs. There is any number of plants and flowers which bloom in the spring and many are very simple to care for. When planning your garden remember you’ll need to plant your bulbs within a week or so of buying them to prevent sprouting, what’s more be sure to check your bulbs for any damage before wasting your time planting them.

Remember there are some great occasions for flowers in the spring, including mother’s day and Valentines Day. You could save yourself a pretty penny and create a far grander valentines day present than you could find in most florists by growing your own spring flowers.

When planning your use of spring flowers within a garden it’s important to consider the impact they can have on large green areas such as within Herbaceous borders where colour can add both depth and brake up the boredom of the greenery.

Formal displays can make fantastic use of spring flower varieties; there are many big, bold, colourful flowers that can be used in planting beds or tight rows for a dramatic effect. An alternative to this is to naturalise your display by loosely scattering some bulbs over grass or wooded areas and burying them where they fall to add highlights of interest to potential bland areas.

Those afflicted with a smaller garden or only a small area such as a patio or balcony can still get involved in gardening for the spring by pot planting. Potted flower displays can be turned into fantastic Valentines gifts for the spring. For the best effect when pot planting be sure to keep a dense concentration of bulbs within the planter and try to use varieties which flower around the same time as each, this can be more challenging than expected.

Planting spring bulbs is one of the easiest ways to affect a magnificent floral display with the minimum of effort. Simply ensure the bulb is planted with its top facing upwards and that the replaced soil is firmly patted down, give the bulb a good drink of water and it should take care of the rest.

So what sort of bulbs should we be planting for the spring well there are a huge number available but some of the best include Narcissus which has a golden trumpeted flower, Tulipa which produce a bold purple flower and grows well in pots, Scilla siberica which forms a blue bell shaped flower or perhaps try Crocus vernus which produce a delicate white flower veined in purple.

For all your valentines day flowers, valentines gifts and hampers visit www.interflora .co.uk. Interflora are trusted florists providing a fantastic range of mothers day flowers, wedding flowers, birthday flowers and flowers for any occasions.