8 Autumn Bulbs to Plant in August for Late Colour
Key Takeaways
- Colchicum (autumn crocus) is the star of the season - big goblet blooms appear within weeks of planting in August
- Nerine bowdenii gives you spidery pink flowers from October, best against a warm south-facing wall
- Cyclamen hederifolium flowers for months and naturalises happily under trees and in containers
- Sternbergia lutea delivers bright yellow crocus flowers in September and October from August-planted bulbs
- Plant corms two to three times their own depth in well-drained soil, and add grit to heavy ground before planting
Suggested reading: Divide & Replant Perennials Β· Autumn Vegetable Guide Β· Best Planters & Containers
August feels like the end of the gardening year in the UK, but it's actually the start of the cleverest one. The bulbs you plant this month flower in September and October, when dahlias are fading and the borders start to look tired. Autumn-flowering bulbs are the secret to a garden that keeps delivering right up to the first frosts.
Most of these need no fuss at all. You drop the corms in the ground, they settle for a couple of weeks, and then they flower before the leaves even show. That's the magic of colchicum and cyclamen - the bloom comes first, the foliage follows in spring. Here are the eight that earn their space in a UK garden, starting with the showstoppers.
1. Colchicum (Autumn Crocus) - The Instant Show
Colchicum autumnale, also called meadow saffron or naked ladies, produces huge goblet-shaped flowers in lilac, pink and white that appear to rise straight out of bare soil. Plant the corms in August and you get flowers within three to five weeks, with no leaves in sight - that's normal. The foliage comes up in spring and dies back by early summer.
They look best planted in drifts at the front of borders, in grass, or under deciduous shrubs where the spring leaves can grow up through them. Plant each corm 8-10cm deep with the pointed end up, and space them about 15cm apart. They're fully hardy across the UK and multiply steadily year on year.
2. Nerine Bowdenii - The Guernsey Lily
Nerine bowdenii is the plant that makes October borders look expensive. Tall stems carry clusters of spidery, candy-pink flowers with a glittering sheen, and the blooms last for weeks in the garden or in a vase. In the UK it flowers reliably from early October, often right through November in a mild year.
Nerines want full sun and sharp drainage, so plant them at the base of a south or south-west facing wall where the soil stays warm and dry. Bury each bulb so the neck is just at or above the soil surface - deeper planting is the number one way people kill them. Space bulbs 10cm apart and leave them alone; they flower best when crowded.
3. Cyclamen Hederifolium - Months of Colour
Ivy-leaved cyclamen is the hardest-working autumn bulb in British gardens. From late August the delicate pink, white or deep rose flowers appear above beautifully marbled, ivy-shaped leaves, and the display keeps going for two to three months. It's one of the best plants for dry shade under trees, where almost nothing else thrives.
Plant the corms shallowly - just 3-5cm deep - with the slightly hairy top of the tuber just below the surface. They're happiest in light shade with leaf mulch, and once established they self-seed charmingly across the garden. Cyclamen are fully hardy and will outlive you.
4. Sternbergia Lutea - Autumn's Daffodil
Sternbergia lutea is often called the winter or autumn daffodil, and the name makes sense when you see the first bright yellow goblets in September. It flowers before the leaves appear, just like colchicum, and the golden colour is unmatched in the late-season border. It's a great low-maintenance choice for sunny banks, rockeries and the front of warm borders.
Plant the bulbs 8-10cm deep in gritty, well-drained soil in full sun. They hate winter wet more than they hate cold, so improve drainage before planting rather than after. In a warm spot they multiply quickly and build into bold clumps within a few seasons.
5. Crocus Speciosus - The True Autumn Crocus
If you want the classic crocus shape in autumn, crocus speciosus is your bulb. It produces lilac-blue flowers with a white centre and orange stigmas from September to October, low to the ground and perfect for naturalising in grass, rockeries or the front of borders. Unlike colchicum, these are true crocus - a completely different plant family, and safe around pets.
Plant the corms 5-8cm deep in groups of at least ten for the best effect. They multiply rapidly once established, so a small pack this year becomes a carpet in three or four years. They're fully hardy and remarkably drought-tolerant once settled.
6. Colchicum 'Album' - White Meadow Saffron
White colchicum brings the same dramatic, leafless blooms as its purple cousins but in a cool white that glows in the low autumn light. It's the perfect partner for nerines and autumn grasses, and it looks exceptional planted in drifts under silver birches or at the edge of a lawn that's mown low in late summer.
Treat it exactly like the purple colchicum - 8-10cm deep, 15cm apart, in any reasonably well-drained soil. It naturalises readily, and because the flowers appear without foliage you can interplant it with spring bulbs in the same space without any crowding.
7. Colchicum 'Major' - Bigger Blooms, Same Easy Nature
Colchicum autumnale 'Major' is the same reliable meadow saffron but with noticeably larger flowers - the 20-22cm corms throw up the biggest goblets of any autumn crocus you can grow in the UK. If you want maximum drama from minimum effort, this is the bulb to buy. The blooms are a rich violet-pink with a white throat, and they appear in September, often within a month of planting.
Give it the same treatment as the standard colchicum, but plant the larger corms a touch deeper - 10-12cm - so they're fully anchored. It's excellent in containers too, where the flowers can be appreciated up close on the patio.
8. Crocus Speciosus 'Albus' - White Autumn Crocus
Closing out the list is the white form of the autumn crocus, a crisp, clean flower with pointed white petals and a striking yellow heart. It flowers slightly later than the blue speciosus, often stretching into November, which makes it the perfect bridge from late autumn into the first winter bulbs. Plant it with the blue form for a two-tone drift that keeps going for weeks.
Same planting recipe as the blue: 5-8cm deep, in groups, in any spot that isn't waterlogged. It naturalises quickly and is fully hardy across the UK, so plant once and it rewards you every autumn for decades.
How to Plant Autumn Bulbs - The 5-Minute Method
All eight bulbs follow the same simple recipe, so you don't need to learn eight different techniques. Dig a hole or scrape out a planting trench, add a handful of grit if your soil is heavy clay, drop the bulb in at the right depth, and backfill. Water once if the soil is bone dry, then leave them to it.
- Depth: Two to three times the bulb's own height. Small crocus corms 5-8cm, colchicum 8-12cm, nerine necks at the surface.
- Spacing: 10-15cm apart, closer in pots, wider in borders. Drifts always beat single rows visually.
- Drainage: Mix horticultural grit into the planting hole on heavy soil. Soggy feet kill more autumn bulbs than cold ever does.
- Position: Full sun for nerines and sternbergia, light shade is fine for colchicum, cyclamen and crocus.
A stainless steel trowel and a pair of multi-task gardening gloves are all the kit you need for a border full of bulbs. For container planting, use a loam-based peat-free multipurpose compost with added grit, and make sure the pot has drainage holes. See our best planters and containers guide for pot size recommendations.
One honest warning: colchicum corms contain colchicine and are toxic, so wear gloves when handling them and keep them away from pets. True crocus, cyclamen, nerine and sternbergia are all fine to handle bare-handed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Verdict
If you only plant one thing this August, make it colchicum - it's the easiest way to add serious autumn drama to a UK garden, and the bulbs flower almost before you've put the trowel away. If you have a warm, sunny wall, add nerines for October. And if you garden in shade, cyclamen hederifolium is the single best autumn bulb you can grow, full stop.
The great thing about all eight of these is that they're a one-time purchase. They come back bigger every year, they multiply, and they ask for almost nothing. Plant them in the next couple of weeks and your garden keeps paying you in colour right through to November.
Alex Green writes about vegetable growing, plant care and small-space gardening for MyLushGarden.
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Last reviewed: August 5, 2026 Β· Evidence-based content Β· Contains affiliate links