HOW TO PLAN A SPRING BULB GARDEN
Fall is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, crocus and alliums. Before ordering your bulbs, here are a few tips to guarantee great results next spring.
PICK A COLOR THEME
Interior designers often work with a color palette -- a selection of colors chosen to give a room or a home a particular look, mood or style. This technique is equally effective in gardens and landscapes.
One option is to choose a single color scheme such as pink, white or purple. The effect is simple and always has a big impact. You can also build your design around a pair of colors such as pink and white, red and yellow or orange and purple. Another approach is to use the color wheel to choose a harmony of several related colors such as pink, lavender and burgundy or yellow, orange and red. Learn more about using the color wheel HERE.
INCLUDE DIFFERENT BLOOM TIMES
From early-blooming crocuses to late-blooming tulips and alliums, the spring bulb season can stretch for as long as 8-10 weeks. When choosing your bulbs, be sure to include a few from each bloom time: early, midseason and late season. This way you’ll have flowers in bloom for as long as possible. Our bloom time chart is available HERE.
PLANT IN GROUPS
Spring-blooming bulbs look best when the plantings are generous and the bulbs are grouped together. Small bulbs such as scilla siberica or chionodoxa should be planted in groups of at least 25 bulbs. Tulips look best in groups of at least 12 bulbs. Daffodils and alliums can be planted in threes, though groups of 7 or 9 look even better.
REPEAT SHAPES AND COLORS
Landscapes are more pleasing and cohesive when the same plant or grouping of plants appears in multiple locations. Our eyes connect these similar shapes or colors into one scene rather than a collection of separate elements. In a formal setting, plant in squares, rectangles or circles. For a more natural or informal look, use ovals, triangles, kidney shapes or a free-form shape that fits the location.
PLANT BOTH ANNUAL AND PERENNIAL BULBS
Many spring bulbs, including daffodils, scilla, chionodoxa, alliums and muscari, can be considered perennials, as they will return and bloom again every spring. In fact, most of these hardy bulbs will naturalize and multiply over time.
Tulips and hyacinths are often treated as annuals because they usually put on their best show the first spring after planting. In the right growing conditions (full sun, well drained soil, hot dry summers), some tulips, such as Darwin hybrids, will re-bloom for several years. To ensure the most dramatic spring display, treat these bulbs as annuals and plant a fresh batch every fall.
SHOP FOR LARGE, HIGH-QUALITY BULBS
When you are shopping for flower bulbs, pay attention to bulb size. Larger bulbs will produce bigger plants with more or larger flowers. Also remember that bulbs are perishable, so it’s important to purchase the freshest bulbs possible and store them in a cool place until planting time.
To learn more, you may be interested in: Landscaping With Spring-Blooming Bulbs, Tulips By Bloom Time, Spring-Blooming Bulbs for Shady Gardens and Alliums for Every Garden.
