Flowering Bulbs

Freesia, Dutch iris, anemone, ranunculus, gladiolus and rain lily — hand-graded in Lahore and delivered across Pakistan. Bulbs flower in their first season, months earlier than seed and with far less that can go wrong. Plant October to November for winter flowers.

What is in this collection
  • Freesia — the most strongly scented flower of the winter garden and a superb cut flower. 30–45 cm, flowering February to April.
  • Dutch Iris — tall, elegant florist-quality stems in blue, purple, white and yellow. 45–60 cm, flowering February to March.
  • Anemone — poppy-like blooms with dark velvet centres, and the longest flowering season of any winter bulb. 25–35 cm, January to April.
  • Ranunculus — layered, rose-like blooms in apricot, rose, scarlet and cream. 30–45 cm, February to April.
  • Gladiolus — metre-tall spikes in eight separate colours, the classic Pakistani wedding flower. 90–120 cm, January to March.
  • Rain Lily — perennial gul-e-barsat that flowers after every monsoon shower and multiplies on its own. 15–25 cm, June to September.
When to plant bulbs in Pakistan
  • Punjab plains (Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan): October to November for the winter bulbs. Gladiolus can start from September.
  • Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar: late September to October.
  • Karachi and coastal Sindh: November.
  • Rain lily: February to March, or as the monsoon begins. It is a warm-season bulb, not a winter one.
Four things that decide the season
  • Drainage above everything. Bulbs rot in wet soil far more often than they dry out. Mix coarse sand or perlite into heavy clay.
  • Soak anemone and ranunculus for three to four hours before planting, and plant the same day.
  • Ranunculus tubers go claws down. It is the single most common mistake.
  • Stake gladiolus at planting time, not later — a cane pushed in beside an established plant spears the corm.
Bulbs or seeds?

Both, ideally. Seed gives you variety and volume cheaply. Bulbs give you certainty and speed — a bulb flowers in its first season with almost no failure rate, which makes it the right choice for the flowers you most want to be sure of: the ones you plan to cut, and the ones going somewhere a gap would show.

Pair them with our winter flowering seeds for a garden that flowers from December right through to May. The Garden by Chanan Din, serving Pakistani gardeners since 1932.