Bulbs are ideal for new gardeners, including children, because they are easy to plant and they always flower well in their first season. They need comparatively little attention, provided that the soil has been properly prepared, and the place where they are planted is chosen with care. They will last for many years and give you an annual show of flowers that are often so richly coloured or beautifully formed as to be in a class apart from other garden flowers.
However, it is a mistake to buy bulbs without any plan of what effect you really want from them. I have written this book to help in selecting the most suitable bulbs for the typical, small, modem garden of the non-specialist gardener, and have made some suggestions to help readers who may not have had a garden before.
Too many books for beginners tell new gardeners to grow a few 'sensible' kinds of plants and leave the more interesting kinds to adventurous experts. For the first few years of one's gardening life one should, it seems, concentrate on learning simple techniques while admiring the gardens of more experienced neighbours.
In fact, as a learner-gardener you need not fear that your efforts will necessarily show your inexperience, because (and here I give away a most closely-guarded secret), provided the bulbs come from a really reliable source, it is possible to produce as good results in your first year of gardening as in your eightieth. There are some difficult bulbs that will disappoint you, notably some lilies and a few miniature daffodils, but these are often no more attractive than the really easy ones. Therefore, be bold with bulbs; they are a sound investment for any garden.
Never be content to plant the bulbs by themselves. The majority look best when planted among other kinds of plants, because they have unattractive leaves which are thus hidden. There are a few bulbs, such as standard daffodils, which are, however, at their best grown in short grass