The flowers that bloom in the spring, like golden daffodils and grape-hyacinths won’t bloom in the spring if the bulbs are not planted in the fall. Below are some Spring Flowering Bulbs along with bloom time info, planting tips and suggestions.
Crocus
- Blooming Time: Early spring
- Height: 4″-6” inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 3″ deep; 3″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Crocuses are particularly fine for naturalizing under trees, on a hillside or in lawn. Colonies are effective along a garden path and often flower before snow melts if in a warm sunny location near the house. Corms are inexpensive so plant lavishly.
Daffodil (Narcissus)
- Blooming Time: Mid-spring
- Height: 18″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 6”-8″ deep; 6″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Narcissus have wide range of color and form. Excellent for naturalizing, borders or for forcing. Good companion plants: grape-hyacinths, anchusa, pulmonaria, primrose and pansy. Plant six or more bulbs in a group; sun or light shade. Bulbs will multiply.
Daffodil Species (Narcissus)
- Blooming Time: Early – Mid-spring
- Height: 10″-15″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 4″ deep; 3″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Narcissus species look well in rock gardens where small flowers can easily be seen. Plant in early September. Most species like full sun; N. triandrus albus and N. juncifolius like partial shade. N. bulbocodium and N. cyclamineus like moisture.
Glory-Of-Snow (Chionodoxa)
- Blooming Time: Early spring
- Height: 4″-6″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 2″ deep; 2″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Chionodoxas form sheets of color when planted in large numbers on a bank, woodland path or near large boulders. Flowers usually follow snowdrops. Effective beneath for- sythia. Magnolia stol/ata or with dainty Tulipa Kaufmanniana. Multiply rapidly.
Grape-Hyacinth (Muscari)
- Blooming Time: Mid-spring
- Height: 6″-8″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 3″ deep; 3″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Grape-hyacinths are one of the most versatile spring bulbs. Plant in the foreground of tulips and daffodils for color contrast; in the rock garden; under shrubs and naturalized. Left undisturbed they multiply rapidly from seeds. Can be forced indoors.
Guinea-Hen (Fritillaria)
- Blooming Time: Mid-spring
- Height: 12″-36″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 4″ deep; 4″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Fritillaria meleagris, or guinea-hen flower, has charming pendent flowers with petals curiously checkered. Good in the rock garden in a somewhat dry location. F. imperialism or crown imperial, is a tall, robust grower. Plant in full sun in a protected location.
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus)
- Blooming Time: Mid-late spring
- Height: 8″-12″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 6”-8″ deep; 8″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Hyacinths are excellent for formal plantings. For even flowering use uniform-size bulbs, varieties with the same blooming period and place bulbs exactly according to a pattern. Space not more than 8″ inches apart from center to center. Fragrant and good for forcing.
Dutch Iris
- Blooming Time: Late spring
- Height: 22″-28″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 6″ deep; 3″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Dutch iris bloom just as the late tulips fade and before bearded iris. Plant in full sun in rich soil. Mulch in cold regions. Plant between clumps of Oriental poppies or combine with columbine and baptisia. Very satisfactory for growing indoors.
Lily (Lilium)
- Blooming Time: Summer
- Height: 12″-72″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 6”-8″ deep; 10″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Lilies are excellent in perennial border or against background of evergreens. Select varieties to flower from June until fall. Plant in sun or light shade in well-drained soil. Madonna lily (L. candidum) is planted in August at depth of 2” inches.
Snowdrop (Galanthus)
- Blooming Time: Early spring
- Height: 4″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 3″ deep; 3″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Snowdrops are one of earliest harbingers of spring. To be effective plant in large groups against rocks, beneath shrubs or trees or in woodland. Once planted they remain for a lifetime. G. nivalis flore-plcno is double. Snowdrops can be forced indoors.
Snowflake (Leucojum)
- Blooming Time: Early spring
- Height: 6″-12″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 3″ deep; 3″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Snowflakes resemble snowdrops but have larger flowers and green tips at base of petals. Bulbs delight in shade and should be left undisturbed to multiply. Plant in rock garden, open woods or stream bank. L. vernum flowers in March; I. aestivum in late April.
Squill (Scilla)
- Blooming Time: Early spring
- Height: 6″-15″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 4″ deep; 6″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Scillas should be massed under shrubs or trees, in open woods, as border edging or in rock garden. S. bifolia and S. siborica flower early with 6-in. spikes. Blooming later with tulips, S. hispanica has 12-inch stems, is particularly fine for woodland garden.
Tulip (Tulipa)
- Blooming Time: Mid-late spring
- Height: 25″-30″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 6”-10″ deep; 6″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Tulip plantings arc best planned with the aid of a good catalog so that the blooming date, color and height of varieties may be used to advantage. Use plenty of white and bold combinations such as dark mahogany sot off by a bright yellow variety.
Tulip Species (Tulipa)
- Blooming Time: Mid-spring
- Height: 6″-18″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 5”-6″ deep; 6″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Tulip species bloom in advance of most hybrids. Excellent in rock garden and border plantings. Color and form vary greatly among the different species. Plant in dry, sunny location. Once planted, come up year after year. Hybrids must be replaced often.
Trout-Lily (Erythronium)
- Blooming Time: Mid-spring
- Height: 8″-12″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 3″ deep; 3″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Trout-lilies are fragile-looking flowers with an amazing ability to endure strong winds and low temperatures in early spring. Bulbs are unusually shaped, being long and flat. Plant as soon as received, to avoid drying, in a partially shaded, moist location.
Winter-Aconite (Eranthis)
- Blooming Time: Early spring
- Height: 4″-6″ inches
- Depth and Distance Apart: 2″ deep; 2″ apart
- Comments and Suggestions: Winter-aconite is one of the first flowers of spring. Buttercup-yellow flowers are held 3 inches above ground surrounded by collar of leaves. Tubers resemble dried raisins. Plant August or September or when received. Prefer sun in spring, light shade in summer.