Spring Starts With Bulbs In The Fall Garden
Spring Starts With Bulbs In The Fall Garden
Setting the stage for a brilliant display of color once spring arrives
Fall is the ideal season to plant spring-blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, crocus and alliums. These bulbs not only offer a burst of color after a long winter, but an opportunity to design with intention. Planting now is setting the stage for a brilliant display of color once spring arrives.
Layering for Continuous Color
If you want blooms that last for several weeks, try incorporating a variety of bulbs with different bloom times. Early snowdrops, mid-season daffodils, and late tulips can create a sequence from February into May.
You can plant these bulbs in the same sequence that they bloom. The earlier the bloom, the earlier they can be planted.
"This makes it less overwhelming when you have so many varieties to choose from. You can space it out for yourself."
— Cristin, TGP’s Bulb Supplies Manager
| Bulb Type | Planting Time |
|---|---|
| Snowdrops & Crocus | Late Sept - Early Oct |
| Daffodils & Camassia | Mid October |
| Tulips | End of October |
| Alliums & Hyacinths | Before first frost |
Companion Planting
Everything from deciduous trees to perennials get a head start when planted in the fall. While the soil is loose, add bulbs to your fall plantings to be rewarded with pops of color throughout your landscape in spring.
#1: Three Seasons
Plant alliums, hyacinths, or daffodils with daylilies, perennial geraniums, and fall sedum or grasses.
#2: Foliage Cover
Pair early bulbs with spring perennials like bleeding hearts or hellebores to hide spent bulb foliage.
#3: Shady Spots
Plant early bulbs under deciduous trees with hostas and astilbe to hide foliage after blooms fade.
#4: Shrub Pairings
Mid-season daffodils pair beautifully with spring-flowering shrubs such as forsythia, lilacs, and spirea.
#5: Pest Resistance
Mix tulips with daffodils, hyacinth, and alliums to protect them from critters that like to dig.
Bulbs as Front Entry Accents
Your home’s entrance is a great place to make a first impression. Bold groupings of tulips and daffodils planted along walkways create an inviting and cheerful welcome.
Layering Effect: Try mixing early blooming crocus at the edges with mid- and late-season tulips behind them for color from snow-melt until May.
Woodland & Prairie Drifts
Bulbs are most impressive when they appear in naturalized drifts. In woodland areas, consider planting snowdrops and scilla under dappled tree canopies before leaves fully emerge.
In open prairie-style landscapes, crocus, camassia and alliums can be scattered in irregular patterns to mimic wildflowers. Over time, these bulbs multiply, creating an ever-expanding quilt of color.
Pro Tip: Gayle (Perennials Team Lead) suggests planting scilla “Spring Beauty” directly in the lawn. They finish blooming before you need to start mowing!
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