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Gardeners told to plant these bulbs now for beautiful blooms in October

There are a number of bulbs you can plant this month to see blooming life and colour brought to your pots in the autumn - it's just knowing which exact ones to choose

[Cyclamens, cyclamen coum, flowering in a UK garden in winter]

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These flowers are set to add life back into your garden in autumn (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

When the sun draws out and the colours begin to fade, it's autumn-flowering bulbs we count on to bring a splash of vibrancy back into our gardens.

To ensure they begin to sprout from the ground in time, after all the others die out, it's best to begin planting them now so they can settle before blooming. Further allowing them the best chance at growth, Gardeners' World suggests typically planting them two to three times deeper than the size of the bulb itself.

Although you want to treat them as you would any other bulb, you ensure you're deadheading and allowing foliage to naturally die, all while watering them well in drier summer conditions.

For those wanting to act early and get those flowers ready for autumn, here is a list of the five best bulbs for October.

Hesperantha

They may be better known for one of their many nicknames, crimson flag, river lily or even Kaffir lily, but one thing is for sure: Hesperantha thrives in October.

Their vibrancy peaks during the autumn months, providing those late-in-season shades of crimson, pink or even coral. They can reach an average height of 6075 cm and spread as wide as about 3045 cm.

Nerines

[Nerines]

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They grow tall in the autumn

Nerine comes in a range of species to suit your preference, including the likes of the magenta Isabel and white-flowered Alba. Although the Nerine bowdenii is fully hardy and reaches its full potential with heaps of sun and free-draining soil.

Nerines tend to reach their peak in October and bring with them the most beautiful shades of bright pink, red, or sometimes even white star-shaped flowers, sitting on tall, naked stems.

Gladius Murielae

Abyssinian gladiolus, or better known as Gladiolus murielae, appear in your garden in October time, resembling huge drops of snow. They tend to bloom with a strong fragrance and so not only add a hue of white to a potentially dull garden, but a whole new scent, surrounded by rich green foliage.

Tuberous begonias

They are delicate and beautiful, adding a whole new atmosphere to your garden in the autumn, with two common iterations being the Million Kisses Elegance and Illumination Scarlet, which continue to flower until the first frost.

Both offer a draped elegance, with subtle colours and huge bulbs once they come into their own. However, they're best to be lifted before the temperatures drop and frost seeps in so the bulbs can be replanted for another time next year.

Cyclamen hederifolium

[Pink Cyclamen hederifolium, or hardy cyclamen in flower.]

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They can thrive further into the winter (Image: Getty Images)

Autumn-flowering Cyclamen hederifolium are the perfect plants for implementing some life back into a shaded autumn garden. They are unfussy and don't require much of a gardener's attention, surviving harsh weather and being able to withstand poor soil conditions.

Once fully bloomed, these flowers will produce a dramatic display of colour; they'll gradually spread to cover the ground, like a carpet of flowers.

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