Rather than thinking in terms of number per square foot think in terms of clumps. Daffodils look awful spread out geometrically. I'd plant in 5, 7 or larger numbers but not over the whole bed.

Place your clumps between the other plants. I'd also put in something else since, except your peonies, your other plants all have the same shape foliage. And what will you include for winter interest?

That's a good point re. foliage, jeez. And for winter interest, glad you asked: nothing, I am terrible at imagining that part, I've got almost no plans whatsoever for winter interest. I can't wrap my head around it.

I will say that this is just one strip of a much larger garden - we're talking 30 x 30, multiple terraces, all flowers - so there's a lot going on. (In my head - it's a new-to-us house and a blank slate.)

Do you have a guess, if I were to plant in clumps, how many it'd end up being? I realize that's an impossible question given that I haven't told you how much of anything else there'll be.

Thank you for teaching me the word quincunx! I just used it to impress my math teacher sister whose garden I’m helping to design- directing her how to plant the allium around the scholars ellipse (laid out with precision you can be sure).

Such a good idea! I’ve already done it - I went with 300, who knows - but that’s still a good strategy for planting when they get here.

Flora - please, if a quincunx describes the arrangement of five bulbs, what is the proper formation for SEVEN?

Random scatter? ;-)

Alex, please come back with pix next spring.