Hardy Bulbs to Use in the Garden

Ron Cornwell, Extension Educator, Horticulture

EARLY SPRING

Common Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)

The common snowdrop is very hardy and seems impervious to winter weather in Illinois. It is the first bulb up, emerging in February in the St. Louis area. Flowers can be covered by snowfall. When the snow melts, they reappear unharmed.

The snowdrop has a pendant, six petaled flower. The three inner petals are always shorter than the outer petals. The inner petals are notched at the tip, with a green marking around this notch extending over the tip.

Once the snowdrop is planted, it should be left alone for several years. The only reason to dig snowdrops is when you want to increase the planting. Propagation involves digging and dividing the bulbs immediately after flowering while the foliage is still green. With other bulbs, the bulbs are dug after the foliage dies back. The bulbs should be replanted immediately after digging.

This is an excellent plant to use for any part of the garden. They can be used on the edge of woodland areas or in front of borders in bold numbers. Snowdrops make an excellent container plant.

The winter aconite flowers shortly after snowdrops start to bloom. This little bulb is very hardy to the cold conditions of late winter in Illinois.

Once planted, these bulbs should not be disturbed. When division is desired, these bulbs should be lifted and divided as soon as they finish flowering. Separate into small clumps rather than individual tubers. It will take this bulb a year or more to re-establish.

These bulbs do well in wooded areas if they receive adequate light and moisture. The high canopy of deciduous trees is desirable. If planted in a shrub border, plant under or near deciduous shrubs. Plant far enough away from evergreens that the plants receive adequate sunlight.

This bulb combines well with crocus and early flowering shrubs such as witch hazel; an excellent plant in semi-shaded garden borders and at the edge of woodland areas.

Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum)

This genus of bulbs has two species for consideration in the garden. These include the spring snowflake (Leucjoum vernum) and the summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum).

Once leucojum bulbs are planted, they should be left undisturbed. They will not require division for many years. They need adequate moisture during the growing season.

The spring snowflake naturalizes easily in grassy areas. They establish easily under deciduous shrubs or trees. The summer snowflake is a hardy species that doesn't flower until mid- to late spring.

Crocuses do well naturalized in grassy areas. By the time the grass needs to be cut in the spring, the crocuses have made their leaf growth. While it is preferable to wait as long as possible before cutting their leaves, the leaves can usually be cut before the lawn becomes unsightly.

When division of crocus is desired, the corms should be lifted as soon as the foliage starts to die down. The new corms formed on the top or side of the old corms can be separated and immediately replanted at the appropriate spacing. Corms that are lifted when overcrowded will produce more offsets than plant clumps that are not occasionally lifted.

Crocus are ideal plants for both spring and fall color. While the spring varieties are best known, the autumn and winter species have a place in the fall and winter landscape. Crocuses are eye-stoppers in large naturalized plantings. They work well in shrub borders and at the front of perennial borders. Be careful with drainage in the perennial border. Crocuses can also be considered as a container plant for early spring color on the deck or other locations.

Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa)

Glory of the Snow is one of the finest of the early flowering bulbs. The leaves on this plant are few in number focusing all of the attention to the showy, early season bloom. The majority of the plants available will be blue with various splashes of white on the petals. There are pink and white forms of this plant available.

If you start with large bulbs, this plant will produce more than one flower spike per bulb. Smaller bulbs must be left in ground for a number of seasons before more than one spike per bulb will be produced.

Lift and divide only when overcrowded. Glory of the Snow can be used at the edge of borders, in rock gardens or even in containers for early spring color.

Grecian Windflower (Anemone blanda)

The Grecian windflower tuber needs a well drained soil. Plant the tubers in early fall and water to start tuber growth. Once the plant starts to grow in the spring, water on a regular basis until the foliage dies down unless Mother Nature provides adequate water.

Leave the tubers in the ground and only lift if they become overcrowded. If lifting becomes necessary, allow the foliage to die down and then transplant the small tubers that have formed.

Grape Hyacinth (Muscari)

Nothing creates a blanket of blue in the spring garden quite like the grape hyacinth. They have little fragrance with blue being the major color though white is available. They are inexpensive bulbs.

Grape hyacinth bulbs will usually begin to increase rapidly after the second growing season. If the planted area becomes overcrowded and needs to be divided, lift the bulbs after the foliage dies back, usually in early July, and replant. Surplus bulbs can be used in other areas of the garden.

Grape hyacinth can be used along the front of perennial borders, shrub beds and with other bulb plantings. These bulbs make a striking accent to any planting in the spring.

MID-SPRING

Checkered Lily (Fritillaria meleagris)

The checkered lily needs to be planted in a location that holds moisture throughout the year. This is an excellent plant to use in a partially shaded garden with soil that is high in organic matter.

Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis)

Once planted, this bulb should not be disturbed. It requires a well drained soil. Gardeners with tight clay soil may find this bulb hard to grow unless drainage is improved. After flowering and complete drying of the leaves, the stems should be cut off just above the ground.

LATE SPRING

Flowering Onion (Allium)

Alliums are flowering onions. The plants in this group have the distinctive onion smell, both in the foliage and bulb. Leaves are cylindrical and hollow. Flowers are individually small. These small flowers make up a flower head that can reach considerable size on some plants.

Ornamental alliums are interesting garden plants. The allium giganteum is the tallest of the group with flower stalks reaching 3 to 5 feet terminating in a purple flower head that can reach 5 inches across. The allium aflatunense is another good choice for the garden. This plant is similar to the giant allium above but is smaller in size and has smaller blooms. These large species can be used as accent plants in the garden. Some of the smaller species like allium molly are good naturalizers but need room to grow. The flower heads of many of the alliums are unusual and attractive additions to most floral arrangements. Stalks should be allowed to ripen fully before cutting for use in floral arrangements.