Must-haves
These bulbs are real must-haves that add something really special to the garden, patio and balcony. Over thousands of years, they have evolved to survive the harshest conditions of nature. So, for these super-hardy bulbous plants, life in a garden (even without help from the gardener!) is a luxury existence. After flowering, these bulbs continue their growth below the ground surface and simply emerge again in the next year. And that’s what makes them so delightful.
Things to know about bulbs that naturalize
- Bulbs that naturalize require little care; they are especially nice if you want lots of pleasure for little work.
- Plant these kinds of bulbs where they will not be disturbed by spading. This will result in more flowers to enjoy.
- They will attract insects, too – bumblebees are frequent visitors. Even at a time when almost nothing else is in bloom, these early bulbous plants are already providing enough nectar.
- Bulbs that naturalize are perfect for existing plantings. Plant them, for example, in among groundcovers under trees and shrubs. Daffodils, squills (Scilla) and spring snowflakes (Leucojum) in soft pastels and white really add so much.
Difficult decisions
There are so many kinds of bulbs for naturalizing that it can be hard to decide which ones to use, so here is a list of the 15 nicest ones. For the sake of convenience, the number of bulbs to plant per square meter is also given.
- Blue or white grape hyacinths – Muscari (25)
- Botanical tulips – Tulipa (short ones: 25, tall ones: 15)
- Striped squill – Puschkinia libanotica (35)
- Dwarf iris – Iris reticuluata (20)
- Crown imperial – Fritillaria imperialis (5-7)
- Chequered fritillary – Fritillaria meleagris (10)
- Nodding star-of-Bethlehem – Ornithogalum nutans (15)
- Crocus – Crocus (50)
- Short ornamental onions – Allium (20)
- Mini daffodils – Narcissus (20)
- Grecian windflower – Anemone blanda (25)
- Spring starflower – Ipheion uniflorum (30)
- Snowdrop – Galanthus (50)
- Glory-of-the-snow – Chionodoxa (short ones: 40, tall ones: 20)
- Siberian squill – Scilla siberica (35)