Break the Bulb Monotony

Want more than daffodilsand tulips? These exciting options will spice up your spring palette

What would springbe without daffodils and tulip ? Despite their beauty , the same bulb can get a little tiresome class after year . By adding a few special , colourful , and often underused bulbs , the “ wow ” can be put back into your garden . you may get sizzling colors and texture without a lot of extra effort or add cost .

There are ton of unusual and amazing bulb uncommitted . Get off the average garden expressway — where everyone plants the same specie — and hazard out onto the scenic back route , where over-the-top incandescent lamp can put the spark back into your garden .

Take no-mow zones from frumpy to fabulous

Name:‘Charlotte Bishop’ starflower (Ipheion uniflorum‘Charlotte Bishop’)

USDA Hardiness Zones:5 to 9

Size:6 to 8 inches tall

Bloom time : early on to later spring

Conditions : Full sun to fond shade ; average , well - drain soil ; dry soil during summertime quiescence

With its appeasement , rose pink people of colour , ‘ Charlotte Bishop ’ starflower fix a fabulous edging for border . It make small , sweet fragrant flowers atop grasslike farewell . It looks great with other industrial plant and works well around the base of trees where mowing would be difficult . bloom can also be used to decorate the grass of chemical - complimentary lawns . If stepped on , it smells a mo like garlic , which helps keep the critters aside . In some situations , plants can reseed — a genuine plus in meadow - character garden . Another particular timbre of this blossom is that it blossom for almost the entire outpouring .

This beauty plays well alone and with others

Name:Blue Danube camassia (Camassia leichtliniissp.suksdorfii‘Blauwe Donau’)

Zones:3 to 8

Size:2 to 3 human foot magniloquent

Bloom time : recent spring

term : Full Dominicus to partial spook ; moist , well - drained soil

Blue Danube camassia is oculus candy because of its dark blue coloring , a uncommon discovery among the more common pastel blues of outflow bulbs . A tremendous bridge flower , it blooms between the big bounce show and the summertime splash of color . Its prime atop magniloquent stem turn create quite a stir , whether embed alone , in mass , or intermingled with other Sunday - have a go at it flower . This industrial plant is also contented in damp spots .

Fulfill your penchant for pastels

Name:‘Valerie Finnis’ grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum‘Valerie Finnis’)

Zones:4 to 8

blooming time : Mid- to later spring

condition : Full sun ; moist , well - debilitate grease

‘ Valerie Finnis ’ , one of the large cultivars in its family , has long - long-lasting , tightly form flower cluster . super various , it can be planted alone or as part of a large video display . You ’ll often find this and other varieties ofMuscariplanted in bombastic quantities to resemble a river . Bulbs are cheap and need to be planted only 2 to 4 inches deep , and the resulting heyday can really spice up a garden .

Large masses of blue-flowered bulbs,especially dark blue, can mimic a dramatic “river” in the spring landscape.

Name:‘Excelsior’ Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica‘Excelsior’)

Zones:4 to 10

Size:6 to 16 column inch grandiloquent

atmospheric condition : Full Sunday to partial shade ; average , well - run out filth

I love this bulb in the garden not only because of its color but also because of its intensity and plangency . ‘ Excelsior ’ Spanish tulip gentian look amazing with blooming azalea ( Rhododendroncvs . , Zones 5–9 ) , dogwoods ( Cornusspp . and cvs . , Zones 2–9 ) , and viburnums ( Viburnum

spp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) , and makes a terrific cut bloom . Its additive folio are tough , and the bulb spreads underground by runners to form nice thump . Many varieties of Spanish bluebell will also reseed and naturalize into drifts . I ’ve even seen them looking like a carpet in dappled deciduous woods . It is an adaptable incandescent lamp and , for me , has proven to be critter tolerant .

Looking for amazing color

Name:‘Spring Valley Hybrids’ foxtail lily (Eremurus‘Spring Valley Hybrids’)

Zones:5 to 8

Size:3 to 8 substructure tall

Conditions : Full sun ; moist , fertile , well - drained soil

‘ Spring Valley Hybrids ’ foxtail lily is a mix of several unlike loan-blend grown from ejaculate and propagate for cut flowers . The blooms make these plants the sensation of tardy - spring gardens . With their magniloquent theme — some tolerate up to 500 floret in shades of clean , pink , yellow , or orange — they hulk over every other flower . plant against a dark setting , their colour and tiptop is even more effective , appear like marvelous garden sculptures . Their bulbs , which look a bit like an octopus , should be planted on a recruit cumulation of grime to cater skilful drain .

If you’re looking for something unique, voodoo lily hits the spot

Name:Voodoo lily (Dracunculus vulgaris)

Zones:6 to 9

Size:1 to 3 fundament tall

weather condition : Full sun to fond shade ; modal soil

Voodoo lily is so unusual that special cocktail parties have been planned around its bloom time . Each plant has a huge , reddish sinister spike ring by a similarly color spathe , which makes it look like it has grown its own vase . The bloom briefly ( about a day or two ) stinks like waste essence and attracts pollinating flies and mallet . A leopard - spotted stem musical accompaniment orotund variegated leaves , which spread out like a fan . blood-red berries issue during summertime when the bloom go bad back , making it a two - time of year flora . Voodoo lily looks its best in tropical gardens or toward the back of blossom borders .

This bulb is the “little black dress” of springtime

Name:‘Gravetye Giant’ summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum‘Gravetye Giant’)

Zones:3 to 9

Bloom time : former spring

Conditions : Full sunlight to fond shade ; rich , moist soil

This is a fabulous critterproof , moisture - patient of , long - lasting bloom . Its hanging white bells begin bloom in early springiness and continue with new florets for many weeks . It is one of the most adaptable favorites at our nursery . Because its bells are ashen , summertime snowflake puzzle out well with any color scheme — from indulgent pastels to red-hot , vivacious look . It also blooms as nicely in a sunny flower border as in a moist , funny spot . When it ’s happily acquire , it spreads itself around .

Add an early-season splash of color

Name:‘Blue Giant’ glory of the snow (Chionodoxa forbesii‘Blue Giant’)

Size:4 to8 inches tall

Conditions : Full Dominicus to fond shade ; rich , well - drained grease

Glory of the snow , in various shades of blue , pinkish , or white , is one of the earliest bulb to usher in leap . ‘ Blue Giant ’ is one of my favorites because it ’s a bit larger and firm than the regular types and its color is so alluring . Planted in the right spot , this electric-light bulb can naturalize to create a marvelous carpet . My husband and I planted a river of it in our chemical - barren lawn , where it greets us every time we walk in and out of the house . It ’s also a treasure when compound with other bulbs and plants , and make a smashing companion plant for around the ankle of larger , betimes - blooming bulbs .

Essentials for spring-bulb success

Becky Heath is Colorado - possessor of Brent and Becky ’s Bulbs in Gloucester , Virginia .

SOURCES

The following mail - order works sellers offer the widest selection of the lightbulb featured :

Brent and Becky ’s Bulbs , Gloucester , Va. ; 877 - 661 - 2852 ; www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com

McClure & Zimmerman , Friesland , Wis. ; 800 - 546 - 4053 ; www.mzbulb.com

White Flower Farm , Litchfield , Conn. ; 800 - 503 - 9624 ; www.whiteflowerfarm.com

Photos , except where noted : Steven Cominsky , Brent and Becky Heath , Joshua McCullough , PhytoPhoto , Susan A. Roth , Danielle Sherry , Michelle Gervais

Fine Gardening urge Products

Fort Vee - Organic Potting Soil Mix

Fine Gardening receives a military commission for detail purchased through links on this site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs .

EGO Power+ ST1511 T 56 - volt battery chain trimmer

Chapin International 10509 Upside - Down Trigger Sprayer

Get our latest tips , how - to articles , and instructional videos sent to your inbox .

Signing you up …

A Bright Idea for Spring Containers

Beautiful Tulip Varieties You Should Grow

How to Break Up the Sea of Green in the Garden

Spring Ahead with Forced Bulbs

conjoin Fine horticulture for a free engaging lively webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a illustrious works diagnostician as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technological managing director …

When I spotted a particular sand dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I sleep together I was in trouble . With a delightful color pattern …

When we only prioritize flora we want over plants our landscape painting motivation , each time of year is filled with a never - ending list of chores : pruning , pinch , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a duet …