Plant Dahlias, Begonias, Lilies and Peonies in March: Four Bulbs and Tubers to Avoid the Bloom Gap

With four smartly chosen bulbs and tubers, you can stop that from happening.

When daffodils and tulips finish, many gardens suddenly feel as though someone has switched them off. Then, for weeks, it can look as if nothing much is going on-until roses, perennials and summer bedding finally get started. You can head off this dull in-between spell, but only if you put the right bulb and tuber plants in the ground (or into pots) in March.

Why March decides whether the coming weeks look bright or bleak

As the soil begins to warm and the harshest frosts are usually behind us, beds can still look bare. That is exactly the window when summer-flowering bulbs and tubers belong in the soil. Leave it until the end of April and the display often shifts into high summer instead. The result is a long quiet patch after spring, even though the weather already feels perfect for time outside.

"Planting in March often brings flowering forward by four to six weeks - and fills the gap between spring and high summer."

Four established favourites work especially well together because they complement each other: dahlias, begonias, lilies and peonies. They flower at different points, suit different positions, and keep the garden changing for months.

Four planting stars for uninterrupted flowering

Dahlias: a firework of colour from June to October

For many home gardeners, dahlias are the unspoken royalty of late summer. If you gently wake their tubers in March, you’ll often be rewarded with the first blooms as early as June.

A good approach looks like this:

• Check the tubers and cut away any soft or rotten sections
• Lay them shallowly in pots with loose compost, covering the tubers only lightly
• Keep them bright and frost-free; keep the compost slightly moist, not waterlogged
• From May, once the risk of late frosts has passed, plant out into beds or large containers

Dahlias prefer a sunny to lightly shaded spot and rich, free-draining soil. Their range runs from small pompon heads to large, cactus-like forms, which makes them as suitable for cottage gardens as for crisp, modern planting schemes.

"Dahlias bridge the gap after the spring bulbs and often keep going until the first frost - hardly any other garden plant flowers for so long."

Begonias: bright colour for shade and a north-facing balcony

Where roses struggle and geraniums sulk, begonias are in their element: in partial shade to shade, on the north side of the house, beneath open-canopy trees, or on balconies that miss harsh midday sun.

In March, set the tubers into shallow trays or pots. Position them with the rounded side down and the slightly hollowed side facing up, then cover only thinly with compost. Use a loose, humus-rich mix and keep it evenly, lightly moist-without letting it sit wet.

A few rules of thumb make care straightforward:

• Bright, but frost-free-15 to 18 °C indoors or in a greenhouse is ideal
• Water regularly but sparingly; don’t let tubers stand in water
• From mid-May, move them outside and acclimatise them gradually
• Remove spent flowers to encourage fresh buds

Begonias flower all summer in white, pink, red or orange and are surprisingly low-maintenance. In autumn, the tubers go back indoors and can be reused for several years.

Lilies: elegant height and fragrance in summer borders

With tall stems and often scented blooms, lilies create striking focal points. They rise through lower perennials, soften hedge edges and add clear structure to flower beds.

Plant the bulbs in March at a depth around two to three times their height. A sunny to partially shaded position is fine, but free-draining soil is essential. Waterlogging quickly leads to rot and can cause bulbs to become fungal.

"By mixing lily varieties that bloom at different times, you can deliberately span the flower‑poor weeks between spring and midsummer."

Some types open in May or June, while others wait until July or August. Combine different timings and you’ll get a staggered display that lasts for months. Useful to know: many lilies can stay in the ground and return year after year, provided the site suits them.

Peonies: an investment in future dream springs

This year, peonies may not contribute much yet, but they are a long-term savings account for flowers. Planting root pieces or young plants in March lays the groundwork for spectacular springs over the coming decades.

These perennials are tough, cope with many soil types and can remain in the same spot for decades. The key detail is planting depth: they must not go too deep. With herbaceous peonies, the buds should sit no more than 3 to 5 cm below the soil surface. Planting too deeply is the most common reason they fail to flower.

Peonies do require patience, and often show their full potential only after two to three years. Planting now, though, secures a long-lived, easy-care flowering perennial that becomes more reliable each season.

How to spread flowering in the garden over many months

If you want to avoid a flowerless spell, it helps to sketch a rough plan for the gardening year. The four bulb and tuber groups above already cover a large part of the season.

Plant	Planting time (March)	Expected flowering period
Dahlia	Start tubers into growth in a pot	June to October
Begonia	Tubers in pots or shallow trays	June to September
Lily	Bulbs straight into the border	May to August (depending on variety)
Peony	Young plants or root pieces	from year 2–3, May to June

Used together, these four groups close the gap between spring bulbs, summer perennials and later-season flowers very effectively. As an extra, you can also plant classics such as gladioli, montbretia or ornamental alliums, which go into the ground in March or a little later.

Practical tips to prevent frost damage and stalled growth

March can bring sunshine and mild days, but it can just as easily surprise you with night frosts. Pre-sprouted plants are particularly sensitive. A few simple steps protect what you’ve planted:

• Bring pre-started pots indoors or into the garage overnight
• In borders, cover young shoots with horticultural fleece or upturned terracotta pots
• On heavy soils, work in sand or fine gravel to reduce wetness
• Don’t feed too early, or shoots can become soft and more frost-prone

If your site is exposed, you can delay tender varieties until April, but you should then expect later flowering. A mixed strategy often makes sense: plant some early and some a little later, spreading the risk.

Why gardens without a gap feel more settled

A garden that flowers without long pauses does not necessarily look louder or more colourful-just more coherent. Short shifts in colour are restful, whereas long stretches without blooms are often experienced as dreary. This is precisely where bulbs and tubers planted in March earn their keep: they link the seasons together rather than simply placing them one after another.

March planting also has a practical upside. Beds have not yet filled in, gaps are easy to spot, and soil work is generally simpler. If you decide now where tall lilies or bushy dahlias will sit later, you can also think ahead about sightlines, shade and what you’ll see from your favourite seat on the patio.

If you’re new to gardening, starting small is worthwhile: a balcony planter filled with begonias, a few dahlias in a pot, two lilies slipped in among the roses. Once you’ve seen how much impact a handful of well-chosen plantings can have on the whole garden, March quickly becomes a fixed date in the gardening calendar.

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