More Great Bulbs To Plant

In talking about bulbs to plant in fall, I have covered tulips and daffodils. There are many other bulbs to plant for interesting and beautiful displays in spring and even into summer.
The first bulbs to show their little heads in the chilly days of March (sometimes even in late February) are the sweet white blooms of snowdrops (Galanthus). Plant a few of these to give you hope of spring in those last dark days of winter. I have a neighbor that has a large colony of hundreds of these under a tree, but a dozen or so planted near a walkway that you pass daily would be enough to brighten some gloomy March days. A good variety is Galanthus elwesii. Galanthus nivalis “Flore Pleno” is a double snowdrop with green tipped petals – also quite sweet.
The next to arrive on the spring bulb scene are crocuses. Definitely choose the ones named “Giant Crocus,” as the smaller ones are really tiny. Deer do not bother these bulbs, and they will even come up through snow. Another early bloomer that is quite stunning and also deerproof, is the diminutive Rockgarden Iris – Iris reticulata. They bloom in early April and are available for your garden in a few colors, but far and away my favorite is “Harmony,” with its pert little blooms with two shades of blue - accented with yellow and white. Another variety that sounds very promising is the new Iris reticulata “Gordon,” with blooms of blue, violet, and bits of orange and white.
Chionodoxa are another short early bulb also called “Glory of the Snow.” Available in blue or white, I prefer the blue heirloom variety Chionodoxa forbesii (circa 1880), which will bear between four to twelve precious little blooms per bulb. Scilla siberica is also a must have. The only Scilla I plant is this one as it bears tiny bright blue flowers and looks wonderful planted around daffodils as an underplanting.
The more of these small bulbs the better and you can plant them all in your lawn in groups and en masse. These small bulbs only need to be planted three or four inches deep. I use a dibbler, a tool that pokes holes in the soil and then drop a bulb in each hole. You can also use a bulb drill or just take a spade and lift a portion of your turf (like a flap) and put a few bulbs underneath and pat back into place. To get a natural effect – take a handful of bulbs, hold them while standing above the planting area, drop them, and then plant where they land. All the bulbs I mentioned are short early bloomers so when you are ready to cut the grass they won’t be harmed.
There are a few very unique bulbs bearing the name Fritillaria that you won’t regret planting. Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial) is the queen of the group. They burst from the ground in late April with a thick cluster of foliage, grow to two feet tall and then have a “crown” of either yellow or burnt orange circular clusters of bell shaped flowers. Almost other-wordly, they have an odd “foxy” smell that repels rodents, so good to plant with tulips to protect them from the little scavengers. Fritillaria meleagris (Checkered Lily or Guinea Hen Flower) is another very unique bulb that bears nodding bells of ~yes~ actual checkered purple and white flowers on slender stems about a foot high. At $16.50 per hundred in my Van Engelen catalog - I am planting a hundred in my cool moist hosta bed to make a show before the hostas even think about unfurling their leaves.
To make a big statement in May and June plant some Alliums. These are in the onion family and come in all sorts of heights, sizes, and colors, usually with globe shaped blooms. For years I have been longing to plant some of the “Globemaster” alliums with their huge round flower clusters (10” across) on 24 to 36 inch stems. There was a stunning display of them at the new Veteran’s Memorial at Woodside Cemetery this past May. This is the year I will plant some. At $5 or $6 a bulb or more, they are pricey but so worth it for years of dramatic purple blooms every late May. There are other varieties as well – and they are all deer resistant. “Firmamament” is another tall Allium with 8” purple flowers with a silvery sheen.
As you can see, if one gets busy and plants a variety of bulbs – one may have blooms from March to June before the humdrum annuals even get going.