What child has not been enchanted by the dainty little bells of lachenalias, or soldier boys?

We can ensure that this annual delight, ending the gloom of winter, continues without diminishing effect if we give our bulbs care.

First, intrusive weeds should be removed. These use plant food that should be going to the bulbs.

Where bulbs are naturalised, as with daffodils, they have worked their way deeper down into the soil than recently-planted ones.

A sprinkling of blood and bone will make its way down to feed these. When bulbs form their first buds, a watering with liquid fertiliser will give them a boost.

And of course, when flowering finishes the foliage must not be cut off, but left to die down.

While this is happening, nutrients are being absorbed down into the bulb to strengthen it for next year’s flowers.

The spent flower heads should be cut off instead of being allowed to form seeds, which weaken the plant. Only the foliage has to be left until it starts yellowing before it can be cut off or mown.

Daffodils narcissi, freesias and grape hyacinths can be left in the ground indefinitely.

So can ranunculi, but these have only a short life, which will be expended after two or three years. Then new bulbs have to be planted.

Hyacinth and tulip bulbs are best lifted each year and stored, to be planted again in autumn.

We’ll soon be seeing the dainty snowdrops and snowflakes.

But how do you tell the difference between these?

Snowflakes belong to the genus leucojum and snowdrops to the genus galanthus, but both belong to the large amaryllidaceae family.

The flowers of each have six petals but on the snowflake they are all equal in length, whereas on the snowdrop the three inner ones are considerably smaller than the outer ones.

The snowdrop has pure white flowers but the small, bell-shaped flowers of the snowflake have green spots on the tip of the petals.

The leucojum is often erroneously called snowdrop and they are seen in gardens much more frequently than galanthus.

Plants, like human beings, become sick if they are deficient in iron.

It is one of the many minerals that must be present in the soil and in our bodies if we are to remain healthy.

In humans iron deficiency causes anaemia. In plants iron is a major factor in the production of chlorophyl and carbohydrate.

If it is deficient in the soil, plants will show the same symptoms as nitrogen or magnesium deficiency – a sickly, yellow colour of the leaves.

Deficiencies often occur in very alkaline soils. We should never spray plants with iron salts to remedy a deficiency. This can kill them.

The best antidote is to dig in plenty of organic matter such a compost. This will remedy the deficiency in the soil.

It is a complex action within humus that makes iron available to plants. As for humans, we can ensure that our bodies get enough iron if we eat plenty of fresh vegetables.

Cool season veggies can be prone to diseases like powdery mildew. This is a fungal disease that looks like white ash or talcum powder covering the foliage. It can start as small spots and rapidly spread to cover entire leaves.

Powdery mildew infection can result in death of leaves and lead to very poor plant health.

Mancozeb plus is the antidote. It will also control rust. Spray over the foliage every seven to 10 days.