A to Z Guide to Flowering Bulbs for Your Garden

Alphabetical Highlights

• Amaryllis: Large showy flowers (red/white/pink); popular Christmas gift.
• Bonemeal: Soil amendment bulbs love — but may attract rodents.
• Crocus: Early spring harbingers; grow from corms.
• Daffodil (Narcissus): Yellow/white trumpets = true spring.
• Eremurus: Foxtail lilies/desert candles; tall plumes.
• Fritillaria: Drooping bells, some checkerboard-patterned.
• Gladiolus: Vibrant spikes (pink, red, yellow, white).
• Hyacinth: Dense fragrant clusters.
• Iris: Showy summer blooms; some bearded; from rhizomes.
• King Alfred: Classic large yellow daffodil (often improved variants sold).
• Lilium: Striking colors, sometimes heavenly scent.
• Muscari: Grape hyacinth; tiny blue spring clusters.
• Ornithogalum: Star-of-Bethlehem; sweet white blooms.
• Puschkinia: Delicate white flowers.
• Quality bulbs: Firm, mold-free — always buy the best.
• Rhizomes: Thick stems (ginger, ferns) — not true bulbs.
• Snowdrops (Galanthus): White blooms often before last snow.
• Tulip: Spring emperor; sparked 1637 "tulip mania."
• Underground: Where most bulbs are planted.
• Variegation: White/yellow leaf markings on some bulb plants.
• Windflowers (Anemone blanda): Daisy-like, many colors; from tubers.
• Xiphium: Spanish iris; purple/yellow flowers.
• Zephyranthes: Rain lilies/fairy lilies; white/yellow/pink stalks.

Planting Wisdom

Choose quality bulbs, plant at proper depth, and enjoy a succession of blooms from late winter through summer. Resources at GardeningWithLarry.com.