Great Performers

The Best of the Best: ‘Special Bulbs’

charming planted enmasse in woodland settings and also takes its place nobly in traditional garden settings. It’s a late bloomer making its appearance in May. Plant in moist, well-drained soil high in nutrients – either full sun or partial shade will do. Plant soon after acquiring. This bulb is resistant to deer and rodents and hardy in USDA Zones 4-10. Narcissus  ‘Hawera’  Not really one of the former "Minor" bulbs at all, this delicately jaunty eight-inch tall daffodil narcissus is so special, that the experts jumped categories to include it in the "Best of Best Special Bulbs" collection. As tough a performer as it is dainty looking, this little daff is great in containers, beds and naturalized settings. It is essential to plant in well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade. It is resistant to deer and rodents and hardy in USDA Zones 4-9. Muscari armeniacum  The best-known of the grape hyacinths is also one of the Muscari family’s all-star performers. Its long lasting flowers, long bloom season, and economical price make this brilliant blue flower a champ in endless garden applications. Mass plantings are spectacular, especially when combined with other bulbs or perennials. Count on these long-lasting cobalt blue flowers to appear throughout mid to late season, April-May. Four to eight-inches tall, muscari performs best in well-drained locations. Sometimes its leaves pop up in fall, but don’t be alarmed. This is "business as usual" for muscari and, while winter may brown the leaves, the flowers will survive intact. Try planting these little bulbs close together in mass plantings in the lawn or garden to recreate the brilliant-blue "River of Muscari" effect made famous at Holland’s Keukenhof Garden. Muscari also excels as "the lower tier" of color in double-decker plantings with taller yellow daffodils or tulips or any colour. Muscari are resistant to deer and rodents and naturalize easily in USDA Zones 4-8. This is also available in a less aggressive white flowering form.

Iris reticulata A native of Turkey and the Caucasian Mountains, this four-inch tall beauty with grass-like leaves and a violet-blue or purple flower with yellow markings that bursts into bloom in early spring to create an effect reminiscent of butterflies hovering low to the ground. This sight brightens the aspect of late winter days in February and March. Perfect in pots and rock gardens, Iris reticulata likes full sun to partial shade and will naturalize readily in USDA Zones 4-8 Puschkinia libanotica   This six-inch tall lovely with white flowers striped with shadings of grayish-blue was first discovered in the West Asia and the Caucasus in 1808 and has been cultivated in Holland ever since. It blooms early and for long periods of time, with flowers appearing as long as February to April. One of the few bulbs completely at home in partial shade, it is a great choice for planting under trees and shrubs. Puschkinia will naturalize in moist, well-drained soil in USDA Zones 3-8. I have also seen this naturalize itself in the cracks of an old patio under heavy tree shade. Scilla siberica   Cobalt blue, with bell-shaped flowers three to four per stem, this six-inch tall bloomer adds a blast of brilliance to the early spring landscape. One of bulbdoms best naturalizers, Scilla siberica blooms profusely in March-April. It is resistant to deer and rodents, likes full sun to partial shade and is suited to garden borders, rock gardens and naturalized plantings. Hardy in USDA Zone 3-8.