I have a large planting of snowdrops in the woods behind my house that I can see from my kitchen window. They signal to me when Spring is on its way. I planted 400 daffodils, all different kinds. I love them and they multiply. I under planted Siberian squill under my peonies. I also have lots of bearded iris. I try to plant only poisonous or bad tasting things as I am in a very rural area.

I usually plant every two years the tulips. I dig them out once all is dry and gone and keep them until fall when I re-plant them. In the last two years I haven't done anything because the deers came early in Spring and eat the top just as they were getting ready to bloom. This fall I haven't touched the garden because the entire yard will be landscaped. Other than tulips, I have some daffodils, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, peonies, snow drops, some alliums, and crocus.

I am a lazy gardener. So my garden comprises bamboos, prairie and ornamental grasses inter planted with bulbs of any kind: daffodils, snow drops, hyacinths, tulips, alliums, lillies, anything else. Each year I add more. I take a picture of each section so I am sure to continue planting the same colour blocks each year.

I plant daffodils, hyacinths, tulips (which the deer love). Also use grasses, and ornamental bushes.....

saratogaswizzlestick-- I love Siberian squill! We got our new place a year ago, and moved in in the fall. I was going to miss the squill and snowdrops at the old house, so I bought about 100 or so and planted them right by the front door so I'd have my usual harbingers of spring. It was late fall, and I had so much else to do, but I wasn't going to "not have" my squill and snowdrops! It was the first thing I planted myself here. Well.... they came up...but so did thousands of others I had no idea about! What a thrill! The previous owner had a much bigger, better patch than I ever had! Kind of made my little spot by the front door inconsequential... ha! In the pics, you can see the markers in after I'd planted mine. (I was trying to imagine them, I suppose.) The wild patch in the back woods just made a mockery of them!

Spread some crocuses in my lawn two years ago, so there's some color when the rest of the garden is still sleeping. And I love how the garden is full of drowsy bumble bees, feeding on the first flowers (which are obviously intoxicating). Have spread other bulbs like tulips and irises around the garden, nothing too coordinated, just fun. I leave them in there all year round, even the tiger lillies and dahlias, even though winter nights can be -15C.

Daffodils, bluebells, lilies, ixias, jonquils, in our cottage garden.

Oh yes, irises.

Tulips, daffodils, crocus, iris (dutch, reticulata), puschkinia and saffron.

we have hostas, dafodils, tulips, and these little purple flowers that looks like GardenInspire's last picture. so cute.

oh, and BIG, mounded peonies in the back, with some tigerlillies.

If you are going to lay sod then buy a bunch of crocus and grape hyacinth bulbs that are sold for "naturalizing" toss handfuls of them around on the bare soil you have prepared for the sod. Then just roll the sod out over them where they lie. Next spring you'll be happy you did!

No more grape hyacinth for me, it took over my last garden.

Daffodils, tulips (mostly heirloom types that I dig and store over summer), hyacinths, crocus, grape hyacinths, puschkinia, iris, and heirloom roses. I try to stick with heirloom and/or fragrant types. I live in a 100 yr old house and heirloom flowers seem to suit it. And even though I've planted more bulbs than I can count, I still plant more every year!

I learned several good tips from the gardeners at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Plant pansies or violas on top of your daffodils/tulip bulbs. You will know where the blubs are and the under color looks good all winter and while the bulbs surface, bloom and the greenery is left for a time to feed the bulb for the next year. It looks great to have a base of color for the higher blooming bulbs so choose colors that look good together. Also, for extended bloom wow factor, plant in the same hole a mix of bulbs that are early, mid and late bloomers....tulips and daffodils both have these categories of bloom dates....this way the spring garden looks great for the longest amount of time. I now just plant daffs as tulips require replacement while daffs usually multiply. Good luck.

Is it possible for someone to tell me what those beautiful white flowers are in the photo of Barnhart Gallerys?

Aman3820 Those are Peonies. Peonies come in many different colors from dark reds to white and all sorts of shades of pink in between. They also come in various flower types from a single to doubles. Here's a good reference point for more info on these beautiful flowers: http://www.peonies.org/flower_types.html I used them for my wedding bouquet although they are not a standard "florist" plant.

Thank You Jessica, That is very helpful. I am from Australia and I will have to do some research to see if I can grow them here. They are beautiful!! Thanks again!

I've planted some, but most are just ones that have reproduced.

Until recently, I couldn't stand peonies. As a kid, I've seen them in everyone's garden so I just didn't want them here anymore:)

Hi aman3820 -- Jessica is right, those are peonies, in fact if you look closely, the plant they came from is on the hill behind them to the left. While I always look for long-blooming shrubs and perennials, I can't help but have a few peonies going as well because despite their short bloom time, they really are spectacular.

Thanks Barnhart Gallery, the picture is gorgeous, I can just imagine a huge vase full on my dining room table!! Do you happen to know what the name of this particular one is - looks so pretty and I am on the hunt today to purchase some!!

Hmm, got it in full bloom for my BDay in '98 (so it's a gift I continue to get every year) and I think it was "Cream of" something or other. I've since learned to save my markers, but I didn't when we were new here. I know it was from Sylvan Nursery in South Dartmouth, MA.

I'll also give you my secret source (shhh!) for amazing peonies and a handful of other specialty plantings: http://songsparrow.com/
Khlem's Songsparrow is pricier than many of the catalog growers, but the size, uniqueness and quality of the plants is worth it.

Aman3820 yes you can grow them in Australia. Here's a link for you: http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Flowering-Plants-and-Shrubs/Peonies/2113

Aman3820, something to know about peonies that may not be known is that the buds attract ants before they open. Do not spray them if you see this. The blossoms won't open without help from the ants.

Jessica, that is interesting! I've seen the ants on the peonies and I wanted to shake them off (I know, useless, since they climb back). I didn't know they are needed. Usually, they are a pest in my garden. I have lots of English roses so the ants bring all the aphids on the roses.
btw, I love the giant chrysanthemum in your ID photo. I have a few in the garden and I need to thin them out so they get large again.

Right, Jessica, I forgot about the ants. I'm told hemlock mulch helps, but really, they tolerate a good batting and shaking right before I bring them in the houzz.

aman, they're also easy to divide -- I have several of this white one now from the original.

Barnhart, the link you posted has some amazing peonies. I have just a few (all large), but I really have to stop looking at the flowers because I know I'll buy them:) I just hope that, this spring, I will not change any plants that are already in the finished landscaping plan. It's going to be difficult:) Yesterday I just got the new David Austin catalog and I was already making a list of the roses I want (like I don't have enough of them).

Printesa, you must have grown up in an older neighborhood. Peonies were very popular in my grandmother's era and nearly every house had a few. But they became so common they went out of style for a long time. Plants that were less prone to powdery mildew and put on a longer seasonal show became more popular, hence the abundance of day-lilies that repeatedly bloom all summer.

I'm glad you like the chrysanthemum in my avatar. I am a member of the Chesapeake Chrysanthemum Society. Check out the Facebook page for our group and see other great photos. I am also a Master Gardener in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Oh, and how could I forget my new stash of crocosmia? Driving around, there was a gorgeous plant I spotted on rare occasions among folks' perrenials, but never saw a gardener out there to ask, and didn't know what they were. I described them to my garden centers -- leaves like an iris, stalks like an orchid, and flowers like fire -- but didn't find them there either, until this season. Crocosmia!

I bought several and enjoyed them through August and September, when I found them on clearance and will have an abundance of them next year. In the peony photo above, you'll see the top of our little outdoor fireplace, and I planted them in a semicircle around the back, along with some fiery succulents, to create a "ring of fire."

I have a lot of daffodils in my front garden and along the fence in the back yard. My grandmother had planted them and never divided them so when I moved in I divided them and we had hundreds! I also have lilies planted along a sidewalk in the front, and at one end of the garden you see in this photo. We used to have a large patch of iris in the back yard, but I dug them up to divide them and after they were replanted they never came back. I'm going to have to ask my neighbor for a few because the ones I gave her when I divided them are growing gangbusters. I also have two beautiful peonies. I planted them and had to wait 2 years before they bloomed the first time. But every year now they have more and more beautiful blooms. There are some hyacinths in the front garden as well and there used to be crocus lining the front of that garden and the sidewalks but the squirrels appear to have gotten them.

Jessica, those are beautiful chrysanthemums! Now I want to find some to plant here:) I'm in Delaware, so not too far from Maryland. The mums that I have are from Faribault Growers. Some disappeared, but most of them are still there.

As for peonies, yes, I grew up in Europe and everyone had them. I don't know if they still have them since new plants became popular. Now, I like them and try to get more of them.

Printesa - I am a total fop for peonies, I love them. The problem is that the bushes take a long time to grow and I am not patient!!! They smell so delicious as well!

Printesa, go to http://www.mums.org/ and click on Chapters to locate one close to you. The National Chrysanthemum Society has groups across the USA. Most of the mums on the facebook page can be ordered from King's Mums https://www.kingsmums.com/ and here in the USA the common name for these enormous ones is "Football Mums."

Peonies usually take about 2 years to establish themselves when you plant them. That means they don't normally bloom the first two years, but will start to blossom the third. Depending upon your interest, I'd recommend the book Peonies by Allan Rogers available at http://www.amazon.com/Peonies-Allan-Rogers/dp/0881926620/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y/178-2086248-6694345

ASVInteriors, they do take a long time and they don't last that long. I have some large white ones, light pink and deep red. They get so heavy that I need to use those rings to keep them up. The smell is nice:) A bouquet of peonies is amazing. The only problem with them is that they very susceptible to powdery mildew.

Thanks Jessica! I will take a look and see if I can get something and where to plant them:) I believe the landscape designer did plan for some mums since I have quite a few. (most of them are football mums like you said)...just need to see if he added extras so I can pick some more:)

I usually stake them with one copper pipe hidden in back to brace a hardly-seen bronze tulle ribbon around the stalks, like a bouquet.

I first discovered the beauty of bulbs when studying at Trinity College, Cambridge, UK. Here is a picture:

https://www.google.com/search?q=crocuses+in+trinity+college+cambridge,+uk&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#biv=i|17;d|4dh9Ksma2f-NlM:

HI Natasha is that where Robin Lane Fox who writes for the Guardian is? (I adore his gardening articles)

I live in deer country as well and plant daffodils and alliums...wish I had some pictures!

I have tulips and hyacinth. A healthy sprinkle of chili powder on the leaves as they emerge and the deer leave them alone. Everyone around here gave up on their tulips and planted daffodils. Not me. I refused to cave to the herbivores and took the chili powder advice (from whom, I can't recall) Stay strong. It's worth it for the unrivaled beauty of tulips.

For a great companion planting, put allium bulbs around your roses. Allium is a relative of garlic and roses love garlic as mentioned in the title of the book by Louise Riotte that can be purchased at http://www.amazon.com/Roses-Love-Garlic-Companion-Planting/dp/1580170285

I have lots of alliums plants and real garlic and onions just to keep these aphids away. As much I wanted to see a difference, I do not. It's not as bad, though. I spray with a natural mixture (the Cornell mixture) and it's ok. If aphids would be the biggest problem, I would be happy. The problem with the English Roses is the humidity that we have on the East Coast. It causes black spots, which are a pain to deal with. I'm in the garden taking care of the roses as much as possible, but some years are just difficult to deal with. I know, I could get different roses that are hardier..some of the Austin's roses are better (Pat Austin, Queen of Sweden, Eglantine), but others not so much (e.g., Golden Celebration, Jude the Obscure).

Have you used Neem oil to prevent the black spot?

We planted almost 500 bulbs this past fall. Tulips, daffodils, and a little blue flower I can't recall the name of at the moment. We tried going with varieties that naturalize well. We have been in this home for almost 2 years and as the 5th owners of this 21 year old home we seem to be the first to plant very much, but thankfully we have quite a few mature trees. We can't wait until spring, but I'm nervous about the tulips because we see deer occasionally. I will try the chili powder trick as well as some others I've heard of!
I did transplant a small stand of iris that was not doing so well in its original location and I'm excited to see how they do this spring. We also planted some hostas.
Next year I want some snowdrops... And more daffodils.

While peonies are not a bulb they've been introduced to this discussion so I'm going to take the opportunity to tell you about my own experience with them. People say that peonies don't like to be moved or disturbed. Hogwash! They are hardier than we've been led to believe. When my parents were downsizing I begged them for the glorious old peonies in their garden. These were special plants as they bloomed most years around the time of parents' wedding anniversary. I have several pictures of my parents taken on their anniversary with those peonies in the background. I didn't want to lose them. I dug them up and took them home. As a working mother of four I did not get them all in the ground as quickly as my dad would have liked. When he saw them in buckets on my back porch he was upset with me. Some were there for weeks! I eventually found spots for them all and got them in. Everyone of them 'took'. They didn't bloom the first year but now, ten years later, they are fabulous. Both my parents have since passed. You cannot imagine how glad I am that I have these beautiful, fragrant reminders of my mom and dad.

Jessica, yes, I use Neem oil in combination with a baking soda and some dishwasher soap. I used to use the neem oil found in stores until I read last year that the clarified ones are not good so I bought the Dyna-Gro Neem oil, which has Azadiracta in it. The clarified one, from what I read, has Azadiracta extracted from it.

Not sure they are 'bulbs'...but we sort of 'inherited' these poppies that 'pop' up early every spring around our backyard birch...pun intended:)

At their peak...they are gorgeous...unfortunately however the ones we have are fairly short lived, then droupy and unattractive after flowering...and keep 'popping' up in areas like the lawn where we don't want them.

Hence, started campaign last fall to replace the poppies with an assortment of more traditional early, mid and late spring blooming tulip bulbs...for our 'replacement' spring colour pop. Unfortunately, pesky squirrels seemed to dig up and take bites out of several of the bulbs planted...so hoping they left us a few to enjoy in the coming spring:)

That is a papaver orientale - and they are absolutely beautiful and very hardworking. They can keep blooming for 3-4 months in the right conditions. If you want to keep them (and I hope you do) then try following this advice http://www.ehow.com/way_5819002_problem-solving-oriental-poppy-blooms.htmlI plant them with queen of the night tulips which are a deep purple or deep purple/black Iris

And when the poppy flowers start making seed, cut off the heads hanging above the lawn. Or throw their dry heads back in the bed before they burst open. This will reduce 'outbreaks' outside the bed.

Today was my birthday