To avoid the foliage issue I’d plant the bulbs in groups among perennials. In my garden daffodils are up to about 6 - 8 inches by the time the crocus bloom so the latter would be hidden if planted behind.

Iris reticulata never comes back for me but that may not be the case for you. I presume it depends on summer sun.

any idea what the base soil type is ... and whether it drains ...

i dont think iris would appreciate the snow piling ...

if you have a high draining soil ... and presuming the mush from cars isnt too salty ... the bulbs should not care all that much ...

shall we also presume there is no ground freeze???

when the snow is piled.. is it there for the rest of winter.. ???

im wondering about air flow thru winter soil .. and whether snow would compact and tuirn to ice .... and reduce air movement in the soil ... roots.. and bulbs.. need air.. almost as much as they need water ...

ken

Iris reticulata is the earliest blooming and smallest of the bulbous iris species. Including the foliage, it rarely exceeds 6 inches in height. Long, grass-like foliage would more likely be Dutch iris or Iris x hollandica. And that also has a reputation for being a one shot wonder afa flowering goes.

If this were my planting area, I would first plant the daffs in clumps of as many as a dozen or so and towards the center and/or back of the planting bed. Then I'd toss out the smaller bulbs and plant where they fell.

Planting the bed with annuals after may not be the best idea - they need adequate summer irrigation to look good and perform well and spring flowering bulb beds are best under quite dry summer conditions. Whatever you chose to plant with the bulbs for later interest, pick something drought tolerant - sedums or stone crops, etc.

Iris reticulata foliage does get long and grass like as it matures, but it matures and vanishes much faster than say Galanthus (snowdrops) or daffs.

Thank you all for your thoughts. To address some of your questions, the soil here is usually quite dry in summer. Whatever snow gets piled there isn't a WHOLE lot, (and getting less each year) and it doesn't always last long as it does get sun in winter, and the ground is slightly sloped so there is runoff onto the driveway. She gets her driveway plowed so the majority of the snow is at the other end of the driveway; this area gets some of the snow shoveled off the sidewalk (the path to the front door) and/or whatever is shoveled from the very base of the garage door where the plow doesn't reach. Still, l would venture a guess that in spring the soil is definitely damper than the rest of the year.

I would guess there is some ground freeze, but probably not that deep. As elsewhere, weather is on one hand getting warmer, so our winters aren't what they used to be, but then we have some freak spots where we get walloped. You know, two feet of snow one day in October and 80 degree days in January. Hard to know what's what anymore.

The area isn't PLANTED with annuals; there are pots of annuals placed on top of it in summer. I'm not sure how much difference that makes in water and moisture, as I'm sure there is run off when the pots are watered, although they are watered by hand and the area itself doesn't get a lot of extra watering, only what runs out of the pots.

I'm thinking I will either not go with the iris, or if I really can't be without them, I will plant a bit separately (together in a clump), then just cut back the foliage. If they aren't going to come back it won't matter if I cut the foliage, and if they end up coming back but not with reliable bloom, they'll be somewhat together so I can dig up easily. But I'm thinking I'll go with the snowdrops. To me, they're such a cheerful harbinger of spring, and I have some bright tulips for color anyway.

Any thoughts on the allium? Front of the planting to hide dying foliage, or back because they are so tall?

Thanks!
:)
Dee