How to prepare a spring onion lasagne

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If you haven’t ordered your spring bulbs yet, consider doing so soon, as fall is the perfect time to start planting and create an explosion of color next year.

If you plant two to three layers of different bulbs to create an onion “lasagna” – depending on pot depth and bulbs selected – the color can last for months because a number of bulbs will flower at different times, says garden presenter, author and teacher Sarah Raven.

“Bulb lasagnas produce the densest flower beds that bloom beautifully for several months,” says Raven, whose latest book, “A Year Full Of Pots,” contains many ideas for bulbs and other flowers.

“By staggering the flowering times of your bulbs, you can achieve a continuous display of colour, with new blooms appearing as the earlier ones fade. At Perch Hill (her garden in East Sussex, where she runs courses and events) we plant our bulb lasagnes in October, using either two or three layers depending on pot depth and bulbs chosen.

“For onion lasagna, use large pots. I recommend ‘Long Toms’, which are 16 inches wide and 25 inches deep. If the onions get wet, the lasagna will not turn out well, so cover the container’s drainage holes with broken dishes, pots or gravel.”

Planting bulbs in the autumn can also save money in the long run, says Nigel Lawton, plant buyer at Dobbies Garden Centres.

“This is a very inexpensive way to add color to containers and beds because it is more cost-effective to buy and plant bulbs now than to buy mature plants that will have instant color next spring.”

In pots, spacing is a little different. Plant the bulbs a little farther apart than you would if you were planting them in a single layer, but closer together than you would if you were planting them in a bed – about 2-3cm (1 inch) is the right spacing, allowing you to space your bulbs closer together than you would in the ground, advises Raven.

Don’t worry about the bottom layer of bulbs not being able to grow through the layer above, because the bulbs will simply grow around anything in their way.

Be prepared

“When planting in the fall, preparation is key,” says Lawton. “Fill your container about three-quarters full with high-quality peat-free bulb fiber compost. If planting in the ground, loosen the soil to a depth of about 12 inches and add your compost to boost nutrients.”

Layer your bulbs

“When planting lasagna, always plant the largest, last-blooming bulbs in the deepest layer of your pot or bed, then work your way up to the smallest and earliest-blooming bulbs. If you’re not sure when your bulbs will bloom, read the directions on the package and sort them by size and blooming time,” says Lawton.

Raven recommends that the deepest layer of bulbs should be about 11–12 inches deep and that they should not touch each other or the edge of the pot.

Add a few inches of compost before planting the next layer about 20 cm deep and the top layer a few inches below the soil surface.

For the deepest layers, try parrot tulips such as ‘Orange Favourite’ before moving on to mid-season bulbs such as ‘Prinses Irene’ and ‘Cairo’. Daffodils are a reliable and wonderfully scented option for the top layer, such as the pretty ‘WP Milner’ and the delicate ‘Minnow’, she suggests.

“If you want to add instant color to your pot or bed while you wait for your bulbs to grow, you can plant bedding flowers like pansies or primroses at the top of your bed,” adds Lawton.

Ideal recipes

“My perfect recipe for a bulb lasagna would be tulips, daffodils and crocuses,” says Raven. “Tulips are the ideal base layer and complete the cheerful color scheme of the vessel. For the middle layer, daffodils are perfect as they start blooming in mid-spring.”

“Muscari (grape hyacinths) are another great option. Crocuses are among the first flowers to bloom in spring, making them the perfect bulb for the top layer of lasagna.”

Lawton suggests a lasagna combination of crocus ‘Blue Ocean’ (top), daffodils ‘Twinkling Yellow’ and ‘Filly’ (middle), and tulips ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Sunlover’ (bottom).

Protect your light bulbs

To make your onion lasagna last all winter, continue to water your planter after planting and ensure the compost stays moist but not wet, Lawton advises. Place your container in a shady spot, and when green shoots appear, move it to a sunny spot in your garden.

“To protect the bulbs from frost in the winter months, mulch them well with peat-free bulb fibre compost and cover them with frost fleece when temperatures drop. Add a layer of bone meal in the coming months to fertilise the bulbs,” he recommends.