Summer stars

The spectacular bulb display you've been enjoying all spring need not stop with the last tulip. Hundreds of beautiful summer-flowering bulbs, available in our garden centre in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, keep flowers coming till autumn.

Alliums: the firework-like spheres of showy purple alliums light up the border from May to July. Choose from tall drumsticks of 'Purple Sensation', the huge 20cm-across spheres of 'Globemaster', or low-growing Allium karataviense with pale pink heads and broad purple leaves. Nectaroscordum siculum is closely related, with umbrellas of dangling bell-shaped creamy flowers flushed lilac.

Dahlias: in flower from June to autumn, the choice is as dazzling as the flowers. Single-flowered dahlias mix most easily into borders: try scarlet 'Bishop of Llandaff' or white 'Twyning's After Eight'.

Lilies: heady mid- to late-summer fragrance is the hallmark of stately Oriental lilies like white Lilium regale. Brightly-coloured Asiatics like the yellow 'Grand Cru' are non scented but don't need staking: and elegant Martagon lilies have over 20 blooms to a stem.

Crocosmia: super-easy to grow with handsome strappy foliage, flame-coloured crocosmia lights up borders from July to September. Choose from vivid scarlet 'Lucifer', crimson-splashed orange 'Emily McKenzie' or buttery 'Warburton's Yellow'.

Please ask the staff in our Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan garden centre for more information and advice about choosing bulbs for summer displays.