A Garden of Possibilities

I'm hoping the view of out my office window looks like this next spring

It’s fall and that means it’s time to start thinking about ordering spring-flowering bulbs to add color to your garden next near.  I just placed an order, a bit late since I didn’t get everything I wanted, but I did manage to get 200 mixed daffodil bulbs to plant in front of the stone wall in my front yard.  I also bought a selection of camassia bulbs, a deer-resistant bulb with pale blue flowers that should combine quite nicely with an array of different perennials and shrubs in my late spring garden.

If you’re thinking about ordering spring-flowering bulbs, spend some time planning before you actually place your order.  Not only will advance planning ensure you purchase the correct color and number of bulbs, you can also plan where to plant them for maximum impact and also where the dying foliage can be camouflaged by other plants.  Remember, the foliage of all bulbs should be allowed to die back naturally – over the course of about six weeks – because the dying foliage helps to nourish the bulb so it can bloom next year. 

Design Considerations

Spring-flowering bulbs are an excellent addition to foundation plantings.  Evergreen shrubs, a mainstay of many foundation plantings, make a nice background for colorful bulbs.  Try to plant bulbs, especially larger bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, in groups of twelve or more so you have a noticeable splash of color.

Spring-flowering bulbs can also be planted under deciduous  trees and shrubs (they lose their leaves in the fall).  Early blooming bulbs, such as crocus, grape hyacinth, snowdrops, winter aconites and early-flowering daffodils are good choices for planting in these areas.  If you time the bloom of the bulbs with the bloom of an early-flowering tree, such as a crabapple or redbud, the combination can be a showstopper.  Since these bulbs, with the exception of the early-flowering daffodils, are small bulbs, you will need to plant large quantities to get a mass of color.  Think about planting fifty to one hundred of these smaller bulbs, depending on how large of an area you are trying to cover.

Perennials beds and rock gardens are also ideal spots for spring-flowering bulbs.  With careful planning, you can have color in your perennial beds for months before many perennials typically bloom.  And the emerging foliage of perennials can hide the dying foliage of the bulbs.  After the bulb foliage dies back naturally, you can always plant shallow rooted annuals on top of tulips or daffodils to fill in any holes in your border.  Again, plant bulbs in large groups to make a decent splash of color.  Never plant bulbs in single-file.  Mother Nature grows bulbs  in irregular masses – you should too.

Another spot for spring-flowering bulbs is in existing groundcover such as vinca, ivy or violets.  Just keep in mind the relationship between the height of the ground cover and the height of the bulbs.  Ideally, the bulb should be about twice as tall as the groundcover. 

More Ideas on Number of Bulbs

These pink & white tulips work well in this large space

 Daffodils and tulips,  the ‘major’ spring-flowering bulbs, look best in groups of twelve or more.  The more bulbs that are planted together, the greater the visual impact.  Remember, plant them in irregular groups, not in single file.

Smaller spring-flowering bulbs, like crocus, blue squill, starflowers and windflowers, should be planted in groups of at least fifty.  Since they are low-growing and the flowers are small, they are ideal for planting near a walkway or front door where they can be appreciated up close.

If you’re planting a small space, using bulbs of one color will not only have a greater impact they will also make the space feel larger.  Mixed colored bulbs planted in a small space will make the area seem smaller.

If you’re planting a large area, you can use two or three colors to make a strong statement.  Try to concentrate the bulbs of the same or similar color near each other.  Select colors that go together and if in doubt, separate stronger colors by pale yellows or off-whites. 

 And finally, keep in mind that cool colors – shades of blue, violet and green-  planted in the far corner of a garden will make the garden seem larger.  But cool colors can fade when viewed from far away so they can be best used around a patio or walkway where they are seen up close.

Warm colors – red, orange and yellow – planted in the far corner of a garden will make the garden seem smaller.  Warm colors can be very useful if you want to draw a visitor’s eye to the edge of your garden or towards a far away focal point.

Have fun with your bulb plantings but remember to put some thought into where you will plant your bulbs before you buy them.  A little time invested now will pay big dividends next spring.

Note:  Pictures courtesy of Colorblends.com.  Colorblends, a Connecticut-based company, was a generous sponsor of the October 2009 Fairfield County Plant Swap – an event I helped to organize so I thought I’d given them a little free PR.