The beauty of bulbs is that most varieties can be planted virtually anywhere; even under the spreading chestnut tree because the spring flowering bulbs will bloom before the leaves come out. Scilla and crocus can be planted in the lawn if you like - and just mow down the passing foliage when your lawn needs its first cutting. Daffodils in perennial beds can have their post blooming foliage hidden behind any number of other emerging plants. Forget tulips if you've ever seen deer in your neighborhood...

The folks on the Bulbs Forum seem to be tucking in more new bulbs year after year wherever they can find some space. I had a "sort of" plan - scilla, chionodoxa, eranthis, muscari, Puschkinia, and galanthus bloom pretty much before the hosta even emerge; then the hosta hides the ratty passing foliage. These are all small bulbs planted 3 or so inches deep and have been good naturalizers.

I have clumps of daffs in perennial borders; they get hidden behind coral bells, nepetas, etc. If you've got empty space you want to fill, plant your bulbs first - and probably quickly since it's getting very late in the season even for bulbs here in the colder zones.

I'd suggest trying a small sampling, put them in the ground right away and see how they do in the spring. Then you'll know how the bulbs behave, where they are, and what you'll need to cover the bare spots they leave after blooming and dying back. And there will be bargains on bulbs in the fall of 2009, too, but I'd shoot for getting them in the ground around mid-October or so. Bulbs can be a learning experience and you don't always get it right the first time.

When I am a raw beginner at gardening in a new area, it's easiest for me to plan most heavily for summer/fall and then use spring bulbs under the plants that leaf out more slowly. Once you know how long it takes different plants to get really full in your climate, you can plan beds completely for year-round interest from the beginning, but until you know that this perennial is lush by April and this other one is barely leafing out in late May, you can fix-it-as-you-go with a careful selection of bulbs. Then, the perennials will cover the rather sad late bulb foliage.

It's not the bare dirt, but the dying bulb foliage that's the problem.

It's good advice to understand both your bulbs and your cover plants on your site before planning combinations. This will also enable you to identify your own likes and dislikes before planting - once you put bulbs in the ground it is a bit of a pain to get them out again, so you don't really want to make a mistake (You always either damage them or leave some behind when you dig).

My own gardening joy comes very much from watching the minutiae of things emerging in spring, and so for me, bulb foliage is a real downer, and I've pretty much banned bulbs from the ground at my place. I put them in pots, and when they're done I put the pots away. But if you are working on the bigger picture, then decaying foliage hidden by emerging leaves can do the trick. Certain deciduous shrubs might also work as a "cover crop."

There are exceptions to my rules; I can tolerate pushkinias (perhaps it's that I like the flowers enough to tolerate the foliage) and I love nectaroscordums. As for the snowdrops and white/bluebells, they're so entrenched that I couldn't get rid of them if I tried - though believe me, I do.

KarinL

All good suggestions above. Just one concern, don't plant scillas - they are very destructive and they will ruin more delicate and less robust perennials by forming a large wet sticky mat of rotting leaves after bloom which also very unattractive to look at. They self-seed with great abandon.

If you are looking for early spring drifts stick with crocuses. Or if you're lucky enough to come across them, Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) or Winter Aconites which have a lovely yellow buttercup flower.

I like miniature daffodils. They don't have the messy leaf problems the big ones have, because the leaves are like blades of grass! They are beautiful, charming, completely deer-proof, and require no care or attention. They fit into nearly any setting bacause they're small, yet colorful.

Here's a link to my preferred bulb supplier. My favorite miniatures are "Mite" and "willkommii", which has flowers no larger than a dime!

Regards,

K4

Here is a link that might be useful: Brent and Becky's Bulbs