How to Choose Spring-Blooming Bulbs

Nurseries, mail-order catalogs and online garden sites offer a huge selection of spring-flowering bulbs. Here's how to choose from that wonderful array and ensure a colorful garden next spring.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bulb Planters
• Spring-flowering Bulbs
• Pencils
• Graph Papers
• Pencils
• Pencils

1. Decide where in your garden you'll plant bulbs. You can squeeze them into the smallest spots or plant vast rivers of color.

2. Analyze growing conditions ' sun, shade, wet, dry. For large plantings, draw a map of the area noting varying conditions.

3. Determine which USDA zone you live in, which bulbs are best adapted to your climate, and when they should be planted. Much of this information can be found in mail-order bulb catalogs, online garden sites or books on bulbs, or from local nurserymen.

4. Decide if you want bulbs that can be left in the ground to bloom year after year, or if you are willing to dig and replant each year (in many areas, tulips can't live successfully from one year to the next).

5. Consider color combinations that will look best in your garden.

6. Locate highly visible "center stage" locations ' such as the front porch or patio - where you might be able to place containers filled with bulbs.

7. Consider whether you want to force any bulbs for indoor blooms. Hyacinths and paper-white narcissus work well for this.

8. Plan for a succession of blooms from early spring into summer. Many bulb types come in early, midseason and late varieties.

9. Select sun lovers such as daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinths for sunny spots.

10. Choose shade lovers such as snowflakes and scilla for shady areas.

11. Grow daffodils, snowflakes, muscari and alliums (and many others) as naturalizers - they can come back year after year like wildflowers.

Tips & Warnings

• You'll get the best show by planting bulbs closely and generously.
• Many low-growing, flowering annuals and perennials can be planted on top of bulbs. The bulbs will grow up through the flowers and everything will bloom together.
• Many sun-loving, early-blooming bulbs can be planted under late-leafing deciduous trees. The bulbs get enough sun to grow and bloom before the tree provides too much shade.
• Climate adaptation is very important when selecting bulbs. In dry-summer, mild-winter areas, such as the Southwest, only certain bulbs will naturalize without winter chilling. In rainy-summer areas, many bulbs rot in warm, wet soils.