Monty Don on the one flower you can plant now that will bloom before Christmas

Leading gardening expert Monty Don recommends anyone green-fingered plant this one flower now, to be sure you will enjoy its stunning blooms over the Christmas season

Whether you are a gardening novice or an experienced home gardener with seriously green fingers - anyone can enjoy these stunning flowers over the festive season if you get to work now. There is a lot to be planting in the Autumn to prepare for next spring, from snowdrops and daffodils to tulips and alliums - the bulbs we plant at this time of year will provide us with some much-needed cheer after the winter is finally over and they fill our gardens or balconies with colour.

However, not many things you plant right now will bloom before Christmas - except this recommendation from leading gardening expert Monty Don. If you plant this particular flower now, you will be blessed with some gorgeously delicate flowers during the Christmas season, that will seriously add some extra festive cheer to the proceedings.

On his website, the gardening expert explains that this is the perfect time of year to plant some paperwhites to ensure they are ready for Christmas. "Paperwhite daffodils, narcissi papyraceus, will be flowering for Christmas if you plant them at the beginning of November.

"Unlike most daffodils, it is native to the Mediterranean and do not require a period of vernalisation - or cold - to induce flowering," he explains. Normally, when we plant daffodils at this time of year, or other flowers like tulips, they need the cold, frosty period that we are about to go through to grow next year, but because we can skip this step with paperwhites, you will be treated to these understated and beautiful blooms much faster.

The process to get these flowers couldn't be simpler, Don explains, "So plant the bulbs just beneath the surface of your compost in a container (ideally with drainage but a normal bowl can be used if you add some charcoal to keep the soil sweet) keep them watered but not soggy and place in a warm, light place. The bulbs will grow strongly and if indoors in the warmth flower in 4 weeks. To delay and prolong flowering keep them cool but frost-free."

November is also the best time to get planting your tulip bulbs - even though the gratification for this job will be more delayed than your paperwhites. The expert says "November it is tulip-planting time. This is, to my mind, the most important an best job of the month. It is actually something that can be done at any time between now and Christmas although the earlier they get into the ground the earlier they will flower."

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