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We all know tulips and perhaps crocus. However, have you ever thought about designing a section of your garden with only bulbs? I like bulbs because they give a lot back in not only color, blossoms, cut flowers, fragrance (some times), but they come back year after year, low maintenance and are basically cost effective in my personal opinion. I have planted many of them in the different places I have lived in.
One can really have an amazing perennial bulb garden with just a little planning and have it bursting into bloom in from early spring clear through to June and July and August.
Besides the regular tulips there are varieties of them in unusual shapes such as the Tulipa humilis alba coerulea oculate which is a glistening white blossom with a steel-blue center. Arriving in early April it is only 5 inches high and makes a magical statement when planted in drifts.
Then put in some Tulipa dasystemon also known as T. tarda and you will enjoy brilliant yellow star shaped tulips with white edges that grow to 6 inches high and also arrive in April. Mix in some mid-season tulips, your choice, as there are loads of them available and you can put in drifts of late blooming tulips that will show off their stuff in May.
Of course no bulb garden is complete without the various Narcissus, Daffodils, Crocus, Grape Hyacinth and regular Hyacinth all of which come alive in various stages during early, middle and late spring.
We must not forget the Scilla Siberica alba or the white Wood Squill which is perfect for naturalizing the boarders. While you are seeking out the unusual remember to put in the Iris reticulate Natascha which is an enchanting naturalizer of bluish white blooms with green veins. They will come alive in March and April and should go in the front as they are only about 4 inches tall.
When you create this bulb garden seek out the Galanthus elwesii or the Giant Snowdrop which belongs in every heirloom garden. It grows 5 to 8 inches arriving in March and April with ivory flowers tipped with green. Even the foliage is gorgeous with its gray-green leaves.
Next add a section of Anemone or the Grecian Windflower. These daisy-like white, pink and blue flowers add a great deal to any bulb garden as does their fern-like foliage and are great for front drifts as they grow only 4 inches high arriving in April and May.
In the middle of this bulb garden you might want to consider the Dogtooth Violet or the Erythronium pagoda with its Dresden-yellow lily-like flowers which grow upon mottled foliage to the height of 12 to 14 inches in April and May.
No bulb garden is complete without some Muscari in any of its varieties. Don’t forget the Hyacinthoides hispanica Excelsior which are deer-proof Spanish Bluebells with 15 to 20 pendant, bell-shaped blue-violet flowers on each stem. These arrive in May and grow to 12 to 15 inches in height.
Let’s add some Fritillaria imperialis rubra mazima which is a flushed red flower with up to 10 bell-shaped hanging blossoms per stem. Should you plant these they look weird planted alone so do plant them in clusters of at least 3 and you will be rewarded with 36” high bursts of color.
At some point I would had some Allium Gladiators because these grow majestic 6 inch rose-purple globe flowers that also make good cut flowers. These grow 36 to 48 inches tall. I love them and children do also.
The Fox Tail Lily is a must because in May and June you will enjoy these 3 to 6 feet tall spires with dense burnt-orange flowers and should be put in the back of your bulb garden. I would consider putting in some of the Eremurus Ruiter-Hybrid Mix because these pink, yellow and salmon colored spikes are also enhanced with some orange and cream mixtures which go well when coupled with peonies.
Peonies of all kinds will be generous with their magnificent blooms year after year as they become more entrenched in your bulb garden. We have been enjoying ours for years now.
No bulb garden is complete without a section of Dutch Iris and I suggest buying the rainbow mix. These make good cut flowers in blue, purple, white and yellow and I feel these lovely flowers are as graceful as orchids. You will be rewarded in May and June with 18 to 22 inch flowers.
For your July and August blooms consider hardy Asiatic and Oriental lilies of any kind as there are loads of them available. Don’t forget the Amaryllis which last for 4 to 6 weeks and make great cut flowers.
In the event I have tempted you enough, just get out some paper and pencil and draw your garden, get some colored markers or crayons and put in the color sections you want, then label each section with the bulb name, height and blooming time and you are on your way to years and years of delightful flowers that basically take care of themselves. This will indeed be the best long-term investment you can make for your garden and remember that most of these bulbs will multiply many times over.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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