Tony: Woodland bulbs would do extremely well. Try Snowdrops, Galanthus. They are really beautiful, and some wild narcissi as well, which would look more delicate and natural than some of the cultivated varieties.

Pippa: Wild, natural, British Bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scripta would look delightful too. Don't get the Spanish-type H. hispanica because they spread like fire. The native ones are elegant, and they love a little bit of shade. If the shade is too dense they don't tend to flower so well, but I would have thought that under a magnolia they would be fantastic. Also, it's a rhizome rather than a bulb, but try some of the gorgeous Wood anemones, Anemone nemorosa.

Roy: Going back to the wild narcissus, our native species is Narcissus pseudonarcissus, and that's a charming plant, and will naturalise very well, as you can see where it grows wild in many parts of the country. Or you could try the non-native Drooping star-of-Bethlehem, Ornithogalum nutans, which has flower spikes up to about 12 inches, with lots of hanging white, faintly green stained bells in spring. It's a very attractive plant, and it sometimes naturalises in this country in orchards and woodlands. For autumn flowers, if you're willing to clear the grass from beneath the magnolia and create an open space, try Cyclamen hederifolium, which used to be called C. neapolitanum. It has lovely, pointed, ivy-like leaves, with beautiful silver markings, and attractive pink flowers as well.