TULIP MANIA

PLANT THESE BLOOMS NOW FOR A COLOURFUL SPRING SHOWING

- DIARMUID GAVIN

THERE is no better gardening job in November than choosing and planting tulip bulbs.

Horticulturally speaking it's the right time of year - the ground is not frozen but is cold enough to reduce the possibility of a fungal disease called Tulip fire.

If you are further south or in milder areas, you can leave it as late as December. Getting them in the ground now allows time for root development so the plant is well settled in for blooming next spring.

Psychologically it's a good time as well. There's something uplifting as you press these bulbs into the earth and imagine them in flower, the warmth of a spring day and some sunshine on your face.

Tulips have had an enduring popularity over the centuries. In 17th century Netherlands they were such a novelty and craze that the trading of bulbs reached exorbitant prices, at its height sometimes the equivalent of the price of a house.