Purple Sensation Allium - spring flowering bulbs flower

8 Beautiful Spring Flowering Bulbs for Your Garden

Purple Sensation Allium - spring flowering bulbs flower

As the fall weather sets in and winter approaches, have you thought about your spring garden? Have you considered planting spring flowering bulbs?

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful: they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the soul. – Luther Burbank

Luther Burbank was an American botanist who lived during the turn of the 20th century and developed over 800 varieties of plants. He was a man who loved gardening, and his quote seems suited for today as we are sharing about flowering bulbs for your spring garden.

If you have planted bulbs for next spring, they are in the ground already. Either that or they are in cold storage, waiting for the ground to thaw in the spring. However, it is never too early to start dreaming and planning.

8 Favorite Spring Flowering Bulbs

Today, we are sharing our favorite spring flowering bulbs that you will want to consider planting. Note: If you live in North America, you may check which zone you are located in at USDA Hardiness Zone Finder.

Thalia daffodils from spring flowering bulbs

Thalia Daffodils

Thalia Daffodil

This daffodil is one of the most beautiful flowering bulbs on the market. According to Better Homes and Gardens, the Thalia daffodil has been an “outstanding heirloom from 1916 that is still popular today.

What makes the Thalia daffodil unique is the pure white small bell-shaped flowers and delightful fragrance. An extra attribute of this lovely flowering bulb is that it does not appeal to rabbits and deer.

  • Best zones to plant in: 3 to 8
  • Height: 12 to 18 inches
  • When to plant bulbs: Fall, 3 to 5 inches deep
  • Blooms in: April-May
  • Deer resistant
Siberian squill

Siberian Squill

Siberian Squill

These spring bulbs have been called the “plant-them-and-forget-them” flower. You can plunk these little bulbs in the middle of your lawn in late fall by the hundreds, be delighted by their tiny blue or white flowers for a few weeks in early spring, and then forget all about them for another few seasons after you mow.

Make sure to set your mower blades to 4″ for the first mowing until the foliage starts going dormant.

The sweet-smelling squill provides early nectar for your starving bees, and they even grow well in dappled shade and among your rocks and perennials!

  • Best zones to plant in: 2-8
  • Height: Under 6 inches
  • When to plant bulbs: Fall, 2 to 4 inches deep, 100 bulbs at a time – aim for 20 bulbs per square foot.
  • Blooms In: April-May
  • Deer resistant
Jack Snipe Daffodils

Jack Snipe Daffodils

Jack Snipe Daffodil

Jack Snipe Daffodils are of the miniature variety, and nothing could be more poetic in spring. These little bunches of bright yellow centers with crisp white back-swept petals are the perfect addition to your perennial garden, in between your rocks, or in large clusters planted with other spring-blooming bulbs.

Mini daffodils can survive quite a variety of weather conditions, and they grow well under deciduous trees since they complete their life-cycle before your trees leaf out.

Give them 6 hours of sun a day, and make sure they aren’t planted in an area that has standing water through the summer.

After your daffodils bloom, let the foliage continue to grow for eight weeks before snipping it down.

  • Best zones to plant in: 3-9
  • Height: 6-12 inches
  • When to plant bulbs: Fall 6-8 inches deep
  • Blooms In: April-May
  • Deer resistant
  • Drought Tolerant
Lilac Wonder Tulip

Lilac Wonder Tulips

Lilac Wonder Tulip

Tulips are the most iconic spring flower, and one of the hardiest. The lilac wonder tulip is a small tulip with an unusual color combination: pink petals that open to reveal bright gold centers later in the spring.

  • Best zones to plant in: 3 to 8
  • Height: 6-8 inches
  • When to plant bulbs: Fall, 3 to 5 inches deep
  • Blooms In: April-May
  • Drought Tolerant
Snowdrops

Snowdrop flowers

Snowdrop

These first flowers of spring often poke through the last snows. They have gorgeous little while bells, green foliage, and a sweet fragrance.

Snowdrops prefer shade, and they spread naturally in a few years, making them an ideal ground cover or erosion-preventer for your slopes and hillsides.

  • Best zones to plant in: 3 to 9
  • Height: Under 6 inches
  • When to plant bulbs: Fall, 3 to 5 inches deep
  • Blooms In: April-May
  • Deer resistant
Purple Sensation Allium from spring flowering bulbs

Purple Sensation Allium flowers

Purple Sensation Allium

The purple sensation allium is part of the onion family. This is a perfect flower if you are looking for a late spring bloomer.

The stunning violet-purple bloom sits atop a 3-foot high stem. In addition, it is ideal for cutting and bringing into your home.

  • Best zones to plant in: 4 to 9
  • Height: 20 inches plus
  • When to plant bulbs: Fall, 2 to 4 inches deep
  • Blooms: May – June
  • Deer resistant
Blue-Eyed Tulip

Blue-Eyed Tulip

Blue-Eyed Tulip

The blue-eyed tulip is a particular tulip that made our list because of how unique and rare it is. This tulip is white with a deep blue center.

  • Best zones to plant in: 3 to 7
  • Height: 4 to 6 inches
  • When to plant bulbs: Fall, 3 to 4 inches deep
  • Blooms: Mid Spring
  • Deer resistant
Early spring flowers - crocus

Early spring flowers – crocus

Crocus

Crocus come in a variety of colors and are welcomed dainty flowers in early spring. They are easy to care and prefer full to partial sun in well-drained soil.

  • Best zones to plant in: 3 to 8
  • Height: 3 to 6 inches
  • When to plant bulbs: Fall, 6 to 8 weeks before a hard frost, 3 to 4 inches deep
  • Blooms: Early Spring
  • Generally deer resistant

Honorable Mention

There are many fantastic spring-flowering bulbs. Our choices for honorable mention include:

  • Harmony Iris
  • Baby Moon Daffodil
  • Peter Stuyvesant Hyacinth

8 Quick Tips on Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs

  1. The first step is to make sure you chose only healthy bulbs. You will know which bulbs are healthy because they will be larger and they will not be dry, withered, spongy, or moldy.
  2. The next step is to choose the perfect location. That location will have partial sun to full sun with well drained soil.
  3. Make sure when you plant the bulb that the pointed side it up.
  4. Most likely you will need to dig a hole about 3 times their diameter. That could be anywhere from 8 inches to 4 inches.
  5. If underground or above ground critters are a problem, you can actually plant the bulbs in a wired cage.
  6. Plant plenty of bulbs together. This way, it is not a big deal if some do not sprout.
  7. Mulch the beds to not only keep weeds down but also to hold in moisture.
  8. Supply adequate water. Remember to install Root Starter Sticks when planting these flowering bulbs. The Root Starter Sticks will ensure that your new flowering bulbs will not only receive sufficient water, nutrients, and oxygen; they will also help to keep the soil drained away water from the bulbs. The bulbs may rot if drainage is poor.

Takeaway

Spring flowering bulbs are a welcomed enhancement to any gardener’s spring landscape. They usher in the new season with grace and beauty. Do you have a favorite flowering bulb? Please tell us about it in the comments below.

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