As the autumn days become shorter and the weather becoming less appealing for gardening, so it’s easy to put thoughts about your backyard on hold and focus on warm, cozy winter days inside. But do not tuck yourself inside just yet — you might overlook on introducing bulbs into your garden to bring joy in the year to come.
Most backyard suppliers stock the typical daffodil and tulip types, but this year try experimenting with some of the more exotic alternatives out there. Bulbs come from all over the world and have strikingly different growth habits and forms, providing endless possibilities. With a little planting in autumn, you can bring your garden to life in the spring using these exceptional bulb choices.
How to landscape with bulbs
The Fritillaria meleagris, or Snake’s Head Lily, creates intricate checkerboard-patterned blossoms in the spring. It prefers moist, acidic soil and will slowly multiply to make small groups of blossoms. These make a great feature planting or in rock gardens.
Botanical name: Fritillaria meleagris
USDA zones: 3 to 8 (find your zone)
Soil requirement: Well-drained, acidic dirt
Light condition: Full sun to light shade
Size: 8 to 12 inches
Poet’s Daffodils are a excellent alternative to standard daffodil varieties. Their blossoms are somewhat flatter, more fragile (somewhat as an anemone flower) and often blossom, and they last longer in the backyard than traditional daffodils.
Botanical name: Narcissus poeticus
USDA zones: 6a to 8
Soil requirement: Well-drained dirt
Light requirement: Full sun to color
Size: 12 to 14 inches
The New York Botanical Garden
Kaufmanniana tulips are often called Waterlily tulips since their pointed petals open nearly completely horizontal, like those of a water lily, on bright days. These little gems flower early and will gradually multiply if left untreated. They’re something different than the typical red and white alternatives you often see lining a driveway.
Botanical name: Tulipa kaufmanniana
USDA zones: 3a to 8b
Soil requirement: Well-drained dirt
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Size: 4 to 12 inches
The New York Botanical Garden
The Saxatilis tulip is another great tulip variety worth contemplating. They are much more compact than a normal tulip, so it’s best to plant them larger groupings to achieve a natural effect. Planted in a bright, publicly draining spot in the backyard, they will often keep flowering for months on end.
Botanical name: Tulipa saxatilis
USDA zones: 4 to 8
Soil requirement: Well-drained dirt
Light requirement: Full sun
Size: 6 inches
The New York Botanical Garden
Striped Squill is an excellent small bulb to plant en masse in your backyard. It’s native to central Asian mountain regions, which makes it very cold hardy and easy to grow. Envision a patchwork of tiny white blossoms planted under trees throughout your backyard in the early spring.
Botanical name: Puschkinia scilloides var. Libanotica
USDA zones: 3 to 8
Soil requirement: Well-drained dirt
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Size: Less than 6 inches
The New York Botanical Garden
Garlic may be the most useful bulb you could have in your garden. Plant garlic bulbs onto the outer edges of your vegetable scheme (leaving room for plantings throughout the spring and summer) and you will be rewarded with gracefully curving, edible seed heads (called garlic scapes). When the leaves yellowish, the bulb could be dug up, dried and used for cooking. Homegrown garlic is juicier than the store-bought variety, and you are able to pick from numerous heirloom options in different colors and sizes.
Botanical name: Allium sativum
USDA zones: 3 to 8
Soil requirement: Well-drained dirt
Light condition: Full sun to light shade
Size: 12 to 18 inches
The New York Botanical Garden
Alliums are one of my favorite plants in the backyard. Their architectural, globe-like blossoms emerge in the spring and include amazing arrangement to garden beds. The seed heads can be left in position after the blossom finishes to give interest throughout the summer as well as to encourage pollinators to perform their magic.
Botanical name: Allium spp
USDA zones: 4 to 8
Soil requirement: Well-drained dirt
Light condition: Full sun to light shade
Size: 8 to 30 inches