A spring bulb garden is one of the easiest gardens there is to grow and nothing signals the end of the winter season like the first crocuses poking their heads up through the melting snow.
This fall as you are tidying up the landscape, you may find yourself dreaming of the sweet fragrance and brightly colored blooms of spring. There is no time for dreaming…now is the time to get started and turn that dream into a reality!
Bulb Garden Design
Planting a bulb garden is a reasonably simple task. The challenge is selecting the right bulbs to guarantee a long season of blooms. Using the list of bloom cycles below as a reference, plan your spring bulb garden. Start by choosing different bulbs from each category to ensure something will always be flowering.
Consider the location of where you will plant your spring bulb garden. Bulbs need a well-drained location where they will not sit in pools of water from the melting snow and spring rains. The amount of sun the plants will receive is another factor to consider, however most bulbs, except for late bloomers, will flower before the trees and shrubs are in leaf.
To make sure you’ll enjoy flowers all through the spring, select an assortment of bulbs with different blooming periods.
VERY EARLY | EARLY | MID-SPRING | LATE SPRING |
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Glory of the Snow Chionodoxa forbesii, |
Crocus Crocus hybrids |
Tulip Tulipa hybrids |
Ornamental Onion Allium hybrids |
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Siberian Squill Scilla siberica |
Dwarf Tulip Tulipa hybrids |
Hyacinth Hyacinthus orientalis |
Late Dwarf Iris Iris pumila |
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Dwarf Iris Iris reticulata |
Early Daffodil Narcissus hybrids |
Grape Hyacinth Muscari armeniacum |
Late blooming Daffodil Narcissus hybrids |
Select a beautiful fall afternoon and devote a few hours to planting your bulb garden. Once you have planted the bulbs, leave them to sleep all winter long. With the warm temperatures of spring, the bulbs awaken and emerge from the earth to form buds and begin to bloom. With very little effort and some thoughtful planning, you can enjoy a progression of blooms that begin in early spring and extend right into the glorious, first days of summer.
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