Two of a Kind
02 Sep 2010
Fall is the perfect time to plant bulbs, and pairing bulbs makes for fabulous displays. Here are ideas for creating gorgeous beds come spring and summer.
Bulbs are the unsung wonders of the garden. They give us unending color with very little effort, and even a novice gardener can create a spectacular display. If you choose your bulbs wisely, you can also have blooms from spring to fall.
Bulbs often look best when paired with other bulbs. If you’re new to the art of bulb pairing, start small and simple. For example, you can’t go wrong with a very simple pairing of bright-red tulips with an under planting of blue grape hyacinth (Muscari). In mass plantings, these two create a stunning spring display. If you want to mix it up further, add a splash of miniature daffodils (tête-à-têtes).
The first rule of bulb pairing is to know when your bulbs will bloom. With tulips alone, there are early-, mid- and late-blooming varieties, so make sure the bulbs you pair bloom around the same time. You wouldn’t pair glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa) with montbretia (Crocosmia), for instance, because one is an early-spring bloomer and the other is a summer bloomer. Glory-of-the-snow would be better paired with an early bloomer, like February gold narcissus.
- For a show-stopping display, a good rule of thumb is to plant groups of at least five of the same plant in odd numbers. Pairing bulbs with different shades of the same color is nice, too (in this case, purple alliums paired with purple-white irises).
Bulbs in a Bed
All bulbs have specific planting times, planting depths and specific cold hardiness, so only choose bulbs that will survive our cold climate. Most of the information you’ll need is on the packaging. When selecting bulbs you’ll want to know the flower color, the month(s) it blooms, how tall it grows, what month to plant it, and how deep to plant it. If the bulbs you choose fit loosely into the same parameters, you’re ready to plant. When buying bulbs, chose complementary colors or varying shades of one color. Brightly colored flowers are showier in full-sun locations, while softer colors are better for dappled sun. My favorite spring combinations are red tulips and blue grape hyacinth, as well as crocus and snowdrops (Galanthus). Purple crocus cups reaching toward the sky juxtaposed against snowdrops’ nodding heads makes for beautiful spring color.
- Clustering bulbs at the base of trees injects color into the landscape and highlights garden features.
