While the tulips and the daffodils in all their glory may be the backbone of your spring blooming bulbs, there is a wide array of bulbs that are referred to as the minor bulbs, but the contribution they make to the spring bulb experience is anything but "minor". It's hard to imagine spring without the sweet fragrance of hyacinths or the magical appearance of crocus peeking up through the last of the snow. When planning what bulbs you are going to plant for spring blooms, think of minor bulbs as the accessories that enhance and complete the look. Your other bulbs would still be beautiful without the addition of minor bulbs, but will be fantastic with them.
Hyacinths offer large, dense spikes of incredible scented flowers that are great for formal beds and for forcing in pots or jars. Some of the most popular varieties of hybrid hyacinths are Delft Blue, Jan Bos, Carnegie and Anna Marie.
Dutch Iris are excellent for forcing iris, but marginal in hardiness. They grow 18-20" tall and make excellent cut flowers. Varieties you should try are Golden Harvest and White Perfection.
Alliums offer such a wide variety it would take a full page just to describe them all. Bachman's offers ten varieties that range from the lilac purple, softball-sized Allium giganteum to the shorter, impressive Allium moly that bears cheery yellow umbels.
Galanthus (Snowdrops) are extremely hardy bulbs that announce the arrival of spring with delicate, bell-shaped white flowers nodding on the ends of 4-10" stems.
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) is available in both purple and white and emits a wonderful fragrance. Muscari thrive and multiply easily and make great edges and accents. In addition to the traditional form of bloom that resembles a cluster of grapes, Muscari also is available in a variety called plumosum, a.k.a. Feather Hyacinths.
Striped or Lebanon Squill (Puschkinia Libanotica) bears white flowers striped with pale blue in loose heads on stems 5" tall. Squill is best planted in clusters and increases each year.
Fritillaria is another group of minor bulbs that varies widely from the stately 30" stems of Crown Imperials in amazing oranges and yellow to the intriguing purple, checkered, egg-shaped blooms on 12-15" stems of the Meleagris fritillaria.
Species Iris are delicate dwarfs, seldom growing more than 4-6" high, and are excellent for rock gardens, front edges of beds and forcing. Try a few Danfordiae, Reticulata and Violet Queen.
Chionodoxa are extremely hardy bulbs that produce lots of small, upward-facing star-shaped pale blue flowers. Quite often you will find them interplanted with Scilla and Muscari.
Siberian Squill sends up delicate stems with Prussian blue flowers in early spring, often making woodland areas look like they have been carpeted in blue. This one is great in the lawn since its foliage disappears early.
Scilla Campanulata is also known by several other names including Spanish Squill and Wood Hyacinths. These are true bulbs that are prized because they are so late blooming, even after the last of the tulips.
Eranthis have lemony buttercup-like flowers on 2-3" stems and are great in rock gardens or in a little nook near your walking path. It prefers to be left undisturbed so that it can form large clumps.
Madonna Lilies offer outward facing, pure white flowers with yellow throats and grow 2 feet or taller. They should be planted as soon as you can get them. Crocus are the true harbingers of spring, often pushing through the last of the snow to welcome the new season. Varieties of the large-flowering Dutch Crocus include Remembrance, Jeanne d'Arc and Pickwick. You might also choose a few of the more delicate (and even earlier) species crocus such as Blue Bird, Cream Beauty, Chrysanthus and Zwanenburg. Crocus can be planted in the lawn, since their foliage disappears before you mow.
Recommended Products Bulb Food and Bachman's Garden Food
Top Quality Bulbs
Trowels and Bulb Planters
Bulb Books
Bulb Earth Augers
Mulch and Straw
Spades and Rakes
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