How to Use Bulbs in Your Landscape

Landscaping with bulbs is one of the easiest ways to add early and long-lasting colour to your yard. When using bulbs in your garden or using bulbs in your landscape, think about where they will be seen from your home and how they will blend with existing shrubs, trees, and perennials. The following landscaping with bulbs ideas will help you place them for maximum impact.

Foundation Planting

Thoughtful foundation planting starts with strong structure. Use evergreen shrubs and small ornamental trees to frame the house, soften corners, and anchor entrances. Layer flowering shrubs in front, then add bulbs, low perennials, and groundcovers along the edges for seasonal colour, texture, and year-round interest that complement your home’s architecture.

Deciduous Shrubs and Trees

Spring flowering bulbs can be planted under deciduous shrubs or small trees in the landscape. However, you should not plant spring bulbs under evergreen shrubs as they will not have enough light to grow and bloom. Early blooming bulbs receive plenty of light because they start growing long before deciduous trees and shrubs start to develop leaves. Some bulbs that perform well under trees and shrubs include: grape hyacinths, crocus, winter aconites, snowdrops, bluebells and early maturing daffodils.

By carefully selecting spring bulbs to match blooming dates with the bloom of the shrub, they can provide a beautiful colour contrast with early flowering shrubs such as forsythia or flowering quince. They can also be used in combination with smaller flowering trees like Crabapple, Bradford Pear or Redbud. These simple landscaping with bulbs ideas are especially effective when you are using bulbs in your garden beneath existing woody plants.

Border Planting

A border of low growing bulbs such as grape hyacinths, hyacinths or small daffodils planted around the edge of a vegetable garden or flower bed adds interest to these areas. A border of bulbs planted along the edge of the lawn will add a splash of colour to the lawn area. When using bulbs in your landscape in this way, repeat the same variety and colour along the border for a unified look.

Perennial Beds & Rock Gardens

Spring bulbs can be designed into a perennial bed or border to add areas of spring colour. The bulbs will bloom during March, April and May before perennials start to flower. Plant the bulbs in the flower bed so that the dying foliage will be hidden when the perennials start to come in. When planning borders, it is essential to take into consideration the heights and spacing needed by different plants for a visually pleasing effect. Landscaping with bulbs in rock gardens works well when you tuck small bulbs into crevices where perennials and groundcovers will later hide the foliage.

Ground Cover

Some bulbs can be planted with low growing ground covers like ajuga, violets, vinca minor or English Ivy. Just be sure to keep in mind the height relationship between the ground cover and bulb flower. As a general rule, the ground cover should be no more than half the height of the bulb flower. This is one of the most useful landscaping with bulbs ideas for large areas, especially when you are using bulbs in your garden to naturalize and create a woodland effect.

Lawn Area

The corner of the lawn is a great place to develop a new flower bed. These beds are often composed of small shrubs and perennials. One or two groupings of spring bulbs of one colour located in the flower bed will provide a point of focus during the spring months. Two great bulbs for this area are snowdrops and crocus. You can plant these under trees and shrubs or scatter them freely over the lawn. These are the first blooms to appear after a long dreary winter, and using bulbs in your landscape this way creates a naturalized meadow effect.

Plant early flowering bulbs in your lawn with 3 easy steps:

1. Use the back of a shovel to dig a 3" deep slit into the grass
2. Lift up the sod and plant 4-5 bulbs
3. Remove the shovel and tamp down the sod with your foot

Containers

Both spring and summer bulbs can be planted in portable containers. If spring bulbs are planted, the container can be moved to a location out of sight while the foliage matures, once the bloom time is past. If summer bulbs are used, they will add colour all summer long to areas such as a patio or a deck. Containers are portable and they can be moved around and used in different areas of the landscape. When relocating a container in the landscape, pay attention to the light requirements of the bulbs and be sure the container has drainage holes. This is an excellent option for using bulbs in your garden when space is limited.

Steep Slopes

Steep slopes in the landscape are difficult to mow and maintain. Many gardeners are now using daffodils on these steep slopes to add early spring colour to the landscape. Another effective option is to use daylilies which have a fibrous root system. The foliage is attractive and the bloom adds colour to the area. By using daylilies, you eliminate the problem of trying to mow that area of the landscape. Combining daylilies and bulbs is a practical example of landscaping with bulbs on problem sites.

Whether you are filling foundation beds, tucking bulbs under trees, or brightening containers, landscaping with bulbs offers endless possibilities. By using bulbs in your garden and using bulbs in your landscape thoughtfully, you can create layers of colour from late winter through summer with just a few well-planned plantings.