Plant in groups of the same species and the same cultivar. Bear in mind flowering time and plant height. Don't do rows or patterns. Don't do bulb-only beds. Plant among shrubs and perennials. At least those are my opinions.

And I would echo all of the above. Great advice!!

Noooo, unless the perennials are robust (and tall) enough to actually cover the subsiding foliage (plant height, as Flora mentions), you could be driven insane by the sordid dying foliage (and certain tazettas such as 'Geranium' take an age and look grim). I did mixed planting in my woodland beds but the dainty and lowgrowing phlox, epimediums, geraniums, omphalodes and ferns are completely overcome by vast swathes of bloody hideous narcissus leafage...and the erythronium leaves are annoying too - quite frankly, the worst gardening mistake I have made in years. Bulb only beds for me...unless growing for cut flowers such as tulips where I plant in rows in the veggie beds.

All my perennials are robust, Campanula. I can't be doing with any other sort. So I didn't think of mimsy little things which couldn't cope with bulb foliage. Plus I have so little space everything has to go into the same patch. I can't stand bulb only beds outside a municipal park which has employees to replace the bedding. But as I said, those are my opinions.

Pine cone cat, how many bulbs specifically and how much space? Did you mostly get the big ones or lots of small ones?

Also, do you want to be modern, formal or have it integrate into your existing garden?

I think pictures from Holland where they go totally crazy (I.e. "Modern ") with bulbs making rivers, waves, quilts, etc. are super cool, but they are completely disposable. They bloom and are then pulled up. In your garden, you will probably leave it and then you will have foliage till June which will then fade away and leave a bare spot.

Once you have answered what you have and your definition of cool designs, it will be easier to point you in the right direction.

Also, I will point out both of our U.K. ladies have amazing gardens. If you like what one of them has said, ask away!

I got a whole shopping cart of them, and most are tulips. There are small ones too like crocus, and dutch irises. I got blue and yellow allium, and hyacinths, mostly blue ones for the scent. I'd like something that would make everyone stop and look , out front, done with tulips and daffodils. Probably a bit more formal, I tried mixed lots and rows before and it was colorful and pretty, though unreliable the next year and clumps do look a lot better.

The yard isn't big though I've made almost all of it into gardens. On the side yard is a pollinator bed and I've put only red and yellow daffs and tulips in it the last two years, and some red hyacinths. I could continue that.

The front area did have a plum and mostly bulb beds under it, but I cut down the plum and tried to dig up bulbs prior to planting a new blackgum tree. I couldn't find most of them, other than daffodils. They might be further under. The whole front area is being done. In front of this is a grass slope. Part of that could become a planting area. Could a bulb only bed actually have them planted in pots sunk in the soil, then you could put the pots around back and put annuals there once they are done blooming? It might be good for if I got one wrong too, I could just move them.

Oh your aching back...as you bend over to plant a million bulbs.

More formal looking kinds like the tulips and hyacinths visible in your picture may often look best bedded out, on their own or with suitable shorter companions around them. (Including taller tulips among hyacinths). But there are other possibilities also.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=plant%20combinations%20bulbs&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=undefined&sc=0-23&sk=&cvid=603B1A4E5E40474C87517D27D5CB830C

I just chill on the ground to plant bulbs, contact with earth and leaf litter is relaxing.

Mmm, I didn't think my woodland choices were mimsy, just...short. It was a terrible mistake to add the sort of late flowering, robust tazettas amongst the little woodlanders - quite humbling, in fact, to keep making such novice mistakes as failing to fully consider the height after years of gardening. Chionodoxas, winter aconites, squill and crocus would have been fine but the narcissus will have to go.

None too keen on the municipal planting myself...but I discovered tulips can be grown in the vegetable patch, overplanted with saladings while narcissus are infinitely gorgeous naturalised in grass. The wonderful versatility of bulbs (and many options for using them) are one of the joys which make them truly the gardener's friends.

Ok, you are an experienced gardener with experience with bulbs. Also, your experience indicates tulips don't perrenialize reliably.

I would remind you to pay attention to bloom times as tulips have early/mid/late bloomers. You sound not so into rivers of bulbs so a mixed look or in staggered clumps sounds good. Tulips, alliums and Dutch Iris appreciate drainage and a slope can be helpful. Otherwise, they might act as annuals or have diminishing reappearance over the years if you have clay based soil like mine.

The smaller bulbs can be layered over your existing daffodils without disturbing them. There's never enough crocus in my mind. :D

Dutch Iris bloom much later - more with the alliums that bloom after the tulips.

My guidance might be too basic given your experience- hope some might be helpful!

How do you plant daffs in plain grass? Can you plant them in just lawn?

Rivers are cool, but I don't have a lot of just one color, I went for one of each kind and love the swirly and bold ones. If tulips hate moisture that could have been why they didn't come back. Some of them would sink over a foot down. Could be squirrel food too. But the alliums go crazy.

Yes you can (plant in grass) but you will need a sharp, long-handled bulb planter if you are doing more than a couple of dozen. Alternatively, if you are planting crocus (another excellent naturaliser in grass) it is easier to lift an entire spit of soil, an inch or so down, using the entire width of the spade like a shallow turf-cutter, raising a rectangular flap which can then be folded out and tucked back into place like the page of a book when a dozen or so bulbs are placed on the soil.

Yep, tulips are squirrel food (and, sadly, crocus too) but narcissi seem to be untouched by chomping creatures (as do alliums).

Another surprise naturaliser (for me) in my woodland clearing, were camassias. Both the taller leichtlinii types as well as the smaller c.esculenta, have been really lovely as meadow flowers...as well as snowflakes - leucojums, star of bethlehem (O.nutans) and various small blue bulbs...all of which have been planted in rough grass which is cut over winter, then left until midsummer for a hay cut. Bluebells (hyacinthoides non-scripta) have been less successful in grass but grow under the denser trees such as the oaks (along with wood anemones, snowdrops and aconites).

I first planted daffodils in a line next to my walk in the grass. Looked awesome, but I don't cut my own grass and the lawn guy expressed much annoyance (silently!) about going around them as the foliage persists until June. It took me 3 years to get those buggers out as they dug themselves down and had offsets. A bit too successful.