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Bulb planting question

CrankyYankeeCrankyYankee Posts: 504
in Garden design
I have a variety of bulbs (tulip, crocus, hyacinth, daffodil, allium) to plant and can't decide which would look more natural - grouping the same species bulb together in clumps or mixing the different bulbs together and planting them in close groups.  What do most folks usually do? 
New England, USA
Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I always plant the same bulbs together if I'm doing pots - -ie a pot full of crocus, a pot full of daffs etc, and they can all be swapped around depending on where I want them, and what other plants I have in pots - evergreens especially.
    Particularly useful if you have a spot that you see regularly - from a house window, for example. It's cheery for late winter/spring. 
    In the ground, I mix them according to the look I want, and the conditions. Tulips are more difficult because of the conditions they like, while most daffs will grow in shadier and wetter sites. Daffs and crocus can be planted in exactly the same site because the crocus would be shallower than the daffs, but it's also nice to have a drift of something - repeating along a bed/border.
    It also depends on what else is in the bed, and how you like your colours to work together.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    It's best to consider the soil and aspects in your garden first and then plant the bulbs according to the conditions they prefer.  For example, Tulips and Alliums like sun and well draining soil whilst Daffodils do better with some shade and dislike dry soil.  For a natural look, I prefer to plant one species on its own, in groups, thrown by hand and planted where they land, with a little bit of intervention if necessary!  I also plant in informal shapes, for example a winding river of Tulips if it suits the location.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    This is a group of Tulips I renew every year with a few new colours:




    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • CrankyYankeeCrankyYankee Posts: 504
    I hadn't thought about the different conditions; I'm planting in the ground and it's rocky, well draining soil, not all that rich.  It's not a prepared bed at all, just a bit of grassy area that I'm trying to naturalize so I don't have to mow and I thought I'd start with some spring bulbs.  Sounds like my daffodils won't like it there!
    New England, USA
    Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    This link may help you @CrankyYankee, but you’ll need to adapt for your location and conditions https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/bulbs/naturalising-in-grass
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Some of the daffs might be ok @CrankyYankee, but it may be a case of experimenting. Perhaps the smaller ones because many folk grow them in rockeries or similar sites. 

    The species tulips might do well - they need sharp drainage, like the 'usual' ones, but are perennial and will spread. Most are smaller, so that could be a problem if you want to leave the grass longer. I grow a taller one - Fusilier, which might be a better sort of size. You could check some of the bulb specialists and see if anything would work well for you.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Daffodils are fine here in dry-ish well-drained sandy soil. I think they're not too fussy as long as it's not desert-dry.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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