Designing with Bulbs

• Bulbs can complement these areas by adding spring color.
  
• Pay attention to existing plant heights. Choose tall bulbs like allium to stand in with lilies, and smaller bulbs like crocus and snowdrops to plant at the front of a garden or hedge.
  
• Create borders with tulips and daffodils--their height and vibrant color create a natural edge.
  
• Intermix bulbs that bloom in spring with perennials that bloom in summer to create a camouflage for the dying foliage of spring blooms.
  
• Avoid planting too many different colors together--it can end up looking messy.

• Naturalizing is a method of planting bulbs so that they appear natural and unplanned in the landscape. Imagine walking in the wild and coming across a blanket of daffodils under large trees or on rolling hills--that's the look achieved by naturalizing.
  
• Most bulbs require sun, so when planting under trees, use grape hyacinth or scilla that will tolerate shady conditions. They grow to look like a carpet spread out under the tree.
  
• Crocuses of all kinds and snow drops are great planted in grass lawns. They are low-growing and give that flower-carpet effect that people love. Choose an area that you won't have to mow in the spring.

• Experiment with different shapes and colors. Be mindful of not planting in straight rows: vary the placement and create drifts of colors.
  
• When thinking about color schemes, let your personal preferences guide you. Some gardeners prefer the light and airy effect of pastel blooms, while others lean towards classic spring combinations like white and red.
  
• If you need a little help, try using a color wheel--many landscape designers use one to determine which colors work well together.
  
• When laying out the design for the bed, create a sketch using colored pencils to get a better idea of the color scheme.
  
• Choose bulbs with different blooming times to create a blooming sequence.
  
• Remember, more bulbs look better--you don't want the bed to look sparse.

Shopping for and storing bulbs

When you're shopping for bulbs at your local garden center or nursery, pick out the healthiest ones and handle them with care. Even though they are dormant, they are alive and affected by their environment. A healthy bulb should be firm to the touch, plump and full-shaped. It should have no soft spots, bruising or evidence of rot or mold.

If the papery outer layer is peeled away, don't worry--it won't hurt the growth of the bulb. The size of the bulb does matter, though. Generally the bigger the bulb, the bigger the bloom. Perfectly healthy bulbs will begin to sprout before planted and produce new shoots once planted.

Place a tag with a picture of the flower with the bulbs, or mark the individual bags so you will remember what types you purchased when you get home. If you can't plant your bulbs right away, don't let them get wet or they will rot. Also don't let them get too hot or they can dry out and die. The best place to store them is in the refrigerator in a paper bag. Bulbs will suffocate in a plastic bag.