COLUMNIST: ELI APPLEBY-DONALD
I built the plunge and nestled ten pots of daffodils in there, snug and safe, just waiting for February. Then, I plan to take them out and start the juggling act of making them grow just right for The Caley Spring Show - either speeding them up or slowing them down. That is as far as my plan goes. Right now, I am down the rabbit hole of the internet, trying to find good tutorials on growing daffodils for a show and not having much luck.
The funny thing is, I have never really been interested in horticultural shows. I always thought they were a bit strange, something older folks do, a blinkered view I know, but that was me, until I went along to The Caley Autumn Show and decided, on a whim, to enter my onions. I got a second place, hurrah! More importantly, I had brilliant fun, met some fantastic people, and am definitely up for doing it again. I am not planning on growing specifically for shows, I grow vegetables to eat, but if I happen to have something good near showtime, I shall enter it.
It was on that day, while I was buzzing from the excitement, that Pam Whittle and Colin Ainsworth started telling me about the Spring Show. Pam’s enthusiasm was infectious. She talked about the fun that The Caley members have and raved about her favourite daffodils. Before I knew it, her excitement had rubbed off on me, and now here I am with my very own bulb plunge. Some girls want diamonds, for me, any excuse to grow something new in the garden.
So back to the fact that I do not know what I am doing. Of course, I have grown spring bulbs before, my garden is full of daffodils (Narcissus), tulips, snowflakes (Leucojum), and grape hyacinths (Muscari), but there is a whole other culture of growing bulbs specifically for show, and I am a complete outsider here. I have seen George Anderson and Calum Clunie talk about it on 'Beechgrove', but none of it made sense. I mean, why bury pots of bulbs in sand? Fortunately, The Caley runs workshops for just about everything, so I went to a spring bulb workshop to learn more.
The great thing about these workshops is being able to put questions to people who have done it all before. For example, why do show growers place the bulb on top of the soil rather than planting it fully? Pam explained that this is not essential, just one of those things that some do to maximise the amount of compost available for the roots. There is a restriction on pot size, after all. Once in the plunge, the pots will have four or five inches of compost or sand on top (10-13cm), which helps hold them in place until they establish roots. She also explained that you do not need to use sand for the plunge, you can use compost, sand has just become a bit of a tradition.
I also wondered about the purpose of the plunge itself, not being something the average gardener does, usually planting our bulbs in a bed or pot. Pam explained that the plunge helps control the bulbs' growth rate - whether to slow them down or speed them up- to have them at their peak for show day. The plunge also allows you to cover the pots during a particularly wet winter, reducing the risk of rot, or use chicken wire to protect against furry critters. For me, the biggest takeaway was learning that it is all about controlling growth speed. I have a steep learning curve ahead.
My favourite part of the workshop was when Pam simplified daffodil divisions for me. If you do not grow daffodils, you might not realise just how many varieties there are: short and tall, frilly and sleek, single-coloured, and bi-coloured. To judge them fairly, each variety belongs to a set division/classification based on features like the length of the trumpet (corona) or the way the petals (perianth) grow. Oh look, I learned something new!
I now have a couple of pots of bulbs plunged at Saughton Park, which will let me compare them to the ten pots I have at home. I know I need to lift them around Valentine’s Day, but the next challenge will be figuring out when to hold their growth back and when to encourage it. I have seen George on Beechgrove with a height chart - that will need investigating, or maybe I will just ask Pam again!
Find out more from Eli's new mentor Pam Whittle, and why she loves daffodils so much, on the Scotland Grows Show.
Eli Appleby-Donald, one half of 'In the Garden With Eli and Kate' tends an productive urban garden in East Lothian. She considers herself a perpetual learner gardener, and has spent the last 11 years learning by experience, success, and failure.
Eli is a University digital educator by day, and due to the lack of good information about growing in Scotland when she started gardening, she put those skills to action and now regularly vlogs about gardening on YouTube where she has hundreds of videos about her gardening journey and her top tips, as well as appearing as a guest on other channels worldwide.
You can find out more on the fun of creating your own suburban garden paradise on either her YouTube channel, website, instagram, or her chat on the Scotland Grows Show.