For an early show of pretty blue, Chionodoxa ‘Forbesii Blue Giant’ is hard to beat. Twinkling, star-shaped blooms of violet-blue with a white centre form lush, colourful carpets during February and March.

Plant in sun or shade to brighten dull corners and enliven spring pots. This low growing, delicate beauty is also perfect for rockeries and growing near the front of the border, putting on a floriferous display.

The bulbs will naturalise easily in well-drained, fertile soil. Chionodoxa ‘Forbesii Blue Giant’ is perfect for growing beneath larger shrubs, planting in rockeries, borders and containers as one of the earliest and most welcome bulbs to bloom.

A superb, early flowering Dog’s Tooth Violet - ‘Dens Canis Rose Queen’ produces elegant, nodding blooms in a delicate shade of clear pink. The petals are speckled with yellow or brown markings towards the heart. Long, purple-tipped anthers are suspended from the centre of each 2 in. bloom, attracting bees and early spring pollinators.

Erythronium Dens Canis Rose Queen's stems are reddish umber, matching the mottled markings on wide, exotic-looking, green foliage which is held until summer.

Plant the bulbs in groups beneath deciduous trees and shrubs, or tuck into a shady, moist border where they will plug gaps and naturalise beautifully over the years.