Test Garden Tip: Rather than lining bulbs in regimented rows, create a natural appearance by planting them in clusters or groupings.
Click here to learn more about beautiful bulbs such as allium.
Test Garden Tip: ‘Husker Red’ penstemon could be substituted for the ‘Palace Purple’ coralbells in a sunny site. Test Garden Tip: ‘Springtime’ or ‘Margaret Wilson’ perennial geranium would also be a delightful addition to the mix. Test Garden Tip: Make your shade stand out even more with a variegated vinca variety, such as ‘Illumination’ or ‘Sterling Silver’. Test Garden Tip: Pink old-fashioned bleeding heart or fernleaf bleeding hearts, such as ‘Luxuriant’ or ‘King of Hearts’, would blend well in this mix, too. Test Garden Tip: For another chartreuse-and-blue perennial flower pairing, try lady’s mantle with Siberian bugloss. Test Garden Tip: Tulips and violas will fade by the time summer heat hits, so plant heat-loving annuals in the spot. Test Garden Tip: Line the basket with plastic that has a few holes cut in before planting to prevent soil from falling through the weave. Test Garden Tip: Planting a blend of tulips in the same color range, but of differing classes extends the bloom season because the various types bloom at different times. Test Garden Tip: Use light colors—white, yellow, cream, and pastel pink—to brighten shady areas. Test Garden Tip: Other low-growing groundcovers that make an impressive carpet under bulbs include snow-in-summer, thyme, creeping sedum, dianthus, ajuga, and lamium. Test Garden Tip: Late-emerging hostas also make great spring bulb companions. As the hosta leaves expand, they cover the fading foliage of the bulbs. Test Garden Tip: Stick with a limited color scheme for hardscape materials to avoid detracting from the flowers. The grays of the boulder and retaining wall complement one another and the blooms. Test Garden Tip: Crocus and daffodils are some of the best bulbs for naturalizing in lawns. Wait to mow until after the bulb foliage has died down. Test Garden Tip: Change out your window box plantings with the seasons to keep them in top shape. Test Garden Tip: Place the pots at different heights to create a display with impact. Test Garden Tip: Plant large bulbs, such as tulip, daffodil, and hyacinth in groupings of five to 15 bulbs of each type. Small bulbs, such as grape hyacinth, are most effective in groupings of 15 to 25. Test Garden Tip: Repeat a combination of plants in pots or planting beds for greater impact. Test Garden Tip: To make dark blooms stand out in the garden, provide a light backdrop. Creamy-white viburnum blossoms set off these tulips.
