Bulbs to see us through the winter

Thats interesting Sheila as I was swithering over the Sternbergia but didnt think they would survive here. As for the gladiolus. I have tries a few times but they have neve come back for me, even planted in very light and free-draining soil.

I've had the small glads come back but not tried the big ones but its milder here that where you are. .

Karen the Sternbergia lutea are so lovely I think I would want to grow them even if it meant buying new bulbs every year. I was talking to an SRGC member and when I mentioned the Sterbergia he immediately wanted to know if we had a sunny raised bed with good drainage. When I assured him we did he was satisfied that they should grow.
The gladiolus flowers are 5cm. I think that they will be considered miniature by gladiola purists. Steragram I have never been able to overwinter the larger flowered ones which are available everywhere in Spring. I am hoping that planted deeply these will survive.

SG-Scilla peruviana is a snail haven,although they don't affect the flowers here.

Interesting to have something unusual. I hope you'll be pleased with them.
Please show us photos of when they are in flower. They are very pretty, I googled them and I really like the Gladiolus.
I hope you'll be able to get all the things on the wish list you made, but if it's like mine you'll never get to the end of it lol

Pcw I will try and protect S. peruviana from the snails. I am hoping it will not romp away and be invasive. Hywel I will add flower photos when they grow. My wish list is exactly like yours. My trouble is I ran out of space a long time ago and digging up more lawn now would make my job of caring for the garden well nigh impossible. As it is I could do with a full time gardener.

I'm running out of space too and I haven't got a lawn to steal more room from lol

I manage to over winter summer 'blousy' gladdies but I do bury them 6-8" deep and they have come up for the last 6 yrs with out any problems. I used to have S lutea but they haven't shown for 3 yrs now. I really should get a few more.
my S peruviana do collect the slugs etc but the flowers are worth the tatty leaves.

Hadn't registered that the glads are byzantinus. Have no problems overwintering those.

Hywel I am thinking of making a raised bed on the north side of the wall running alongside the drive. I have daffodils there and if I add six inches of height the bulbs should still come up in the Spring. I could add HP's on top of them now and as they start growing they would hide the dying daff foliage. At the moment we have to leave the grass uncut until the foliage from the naturalised daffs dies off. I still have to persuade OH that this would work. Thank you SBG. I am wondering what the flowers of S. peruviana will look like as there are differences in the photos shown on different web sites. I wonder if S.lutea is short lived. I like them so much I would be prepared to buy new ones just for the joy of seeing their bright flowers. Stera you give me hope that I might succeed with my gladiola.

That sounds like a good idea :)

Nice photos, Winter bulbs in very limited, shady space is exactly what I'm looking to work on at the moment.
Is OH other half?

He is indeed Darren8. Where I am planting the bulbs is under an apple tree. It is a raised bed about 18" high. It drains freely and the tree being deciduous it will soon drop all its leaves and expose the ground to the winter sun. Earlier I dug out all I could of the shrubbery that filled the rest of the bed and am now building up the permanent planting again. I had lots of saved seeds lying around so I just shook them out between new planting. They are now about 8" high seedlings that I do not recognise so they are being discarded but they did keep the weeds down.

Darren if you want snowdrops for your shady place its best to plant established ones after flowering. They seem to take a while to establish if you plant bulbs. I could probably send you some in the spring if you remind me.