Tips for Spring Bulb Planting

Make the most of your spring bulb display by using some of these planting tips.

Make your bulbs look like they just popped up by planting them in random clusters instead of in orderly rows. As a rule of thumb, plant larger bulbs, such as tulips or daffodils in groups of five to 15 bulbs. Smaller bulbs, such grape hyacinth or crocus stand out best in groups of 15 to 25.

Plan your color combination's to make the most of your display. Combine two-tone colored tulips with solid colored varieties. For instance, 'Palace Purple" coralbells look striking up against the burgundy 'Uncle Tom" tulip. Pair up white daffodils (also referred to as the orchid narcissus), with pink or rose colored 'Christmas Marvel' tulips.

Don't ignore shady areas of the garden. Brighten them up with paperwhite narcissus combined with 'Spring Green' tulips. Intermingle some low growing vinca among your bulbs. Or, use a combination of pastel colored tulips with small forget-me-nots.

Plant a background border using white bleeding hearts and plant red and white tulips in the foreground.

Create a spring container or basket filled with pink glory-of-the-snow mixed with pansies. If you used a basket, line it first with plastic inserted with drainage holes. Take a large pot and fill with tulips, pansies and toadflax in varying shades of pink and white. Use the same color combination in other areas of the garden to create a flow.

When you combine your colors, use different types of tulips with similar colors. That way you maintain the same theme throughout varying blooming times.

Hostas make great fillers among spring bulbs. For a colorful display, use purple 'Barcelona' tulips combined with 'Spring Green' tulips, yellow daffodils, purple hyacinths, and allium.

Create a flow of color using two-tone pink and white tulips combined with solid purple varieties. When planting against rock or solid colored border, limit your color scheme to two or three colors so as not to take away from your background.

You've heard of wildflower meadows, now try planting a bulb meadow. Simply intersperse spring and summer flowering bulbs in amongst your wildflowers and watch them bloom year after year.

Plant a window box with bright daffodils and small pansies in coordinating shades. Change it up for the seasons to have a continuous floral display. Fill a number of terracotta pots with brightly colored spring bulbs and group at varying heights for a striking presentation.

Give darker blooms added punch by planting them in front of a light background.

There are no hard fast deer and rabbit resistant bulbs, but these varieties seem to attract them the least: daffodils, crown imperial, siberian squill, allium, fritillaria, grape hyacinth, bluebells, dog-tooth violet, checkered lily, glory-of-the-snow, winter aconite, and snowdrop.

For a lawn display, plant crocuses throughout your yard and watch the the pretty colored blooms poke through the snow in early spring. Once the blooms are finished and the leaves die off, simply mow when you cut your lawn.