Question about planting fall bulbs and what other plants go with them?

Question

I need some ideas because I'm not creative and busy with kids. Right now nothing is planted along the side of our house. I'd like to plant some fall bulbs that appear in the spring but I don't know what other plants can grow with them, once the spring flowers die its so ugly! I need something else to appear or always be there after they die, ya know? Hostas I thought would maybe get too big and eventually cover the spring flowers.???

Answer 1

Some flowers to plant with tulips include pink tulips or 'Apricot Beauty' tulip with blue forget-me-not (Myosotis); multicolored pansy with white tulips. Combine tulips with perennials to maximize the impact of both: 'Beauty of Apeldoorn' tulip with basket-of-gold (Aurinia saxatilis). Or combine any tulip with white candytuft (Iberis sempervirens).
http://www.kidsgardeningstore.com/plantingtulips.html

Bleeding heart (Dicentra),& columbine also match up well with tulips. Other spring flowering bulbs such as muscari, scilla, and fritillaries will add contrast and stretch the bloom season in the bulb bed.
http://www.dutchgardens.com/Learn-how-to-Grow-tulips/default/5307.page

Right now you can get some nice perennials at a discount & place them where they look good to you. Then place the bulbs, in groups of at least three, between the empty spaces. When the bulbs are finished blooming,most perennials will be just starting to come up. They'll hide the fading foliage of the bulbs... That's a good thing!!!
Spring annuals with tulips (looks like Azaleas in background):
http://www.baumgardens.com/modules/xoopsgallery/view_photo.php?xoops_imageid=226&set_albumName=album20&id=126_2682_IMG

Plant taller growing perennials in the background, smaller plants like pansy or petunias in the foreground.
Look how these evergreens, shrubs,
petunias, etc. are planted with tulips:
http://www.baumgardens.com/modules/xoopsgallery/view_photo.php?xoops_imageid=241&set_albumName=album20&id=TulipsCasey

The National Gardening Association has a site about planting tulips with perennials, annuals & shrubs :
http://www.garden.org/howtos/index.php?q=show&id=1323

Good luck! Hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

Maybe you would want to try a few types of bulbs along with some perennials. In the fall we plant crocus, daffodils, tulips, etc. This way, after the first blooms, there is another just starting to come into bloom behind it. Then we have the perennials just taking hold after the early, mid and late spring flowering bulbs. The idea being that from early spring to late fall you always have something going on in that area. Look at the flowering times of the bulbs and perennials and plant accordingly. Keep in mind that what you plant also depends on how much sun/shade and moisture the area has. Good Luck.

Answer 3

One thing that always gets me inspired is looking at the seed catalogs in the middle of the winter. You can do a google search for free seed catalogs, I like Parks, but they all have great color pictures which you can see on line too. Their websites have a lot of helpful information and tips. Good Luck and enjoy!

Answer 4

SHURBS! BOXWOOD, AZALEA, BARBERRY, NANDINA, HOLLY! SHRUBS REALLY MAKE A HOUSE! WITHOUT THEM IT LOOKS PLAIN, DULL & LACKING! YOU CAN PUT FLOWER IN FRONT OF THE SHRUBS OR BETWEEN THEM OR BOTH! GO TO LOWES.COM OR HOME DEPOT.COM FOR HELP AND IDEAS!