Allium

Known as the "Flowering Onions," Allium are exotic, unique and great fun. They extend the flowering season with dramatic color and unusual, show-stopping shapes and forms. The Latin word for garlic, Allium are seldom affected by disease. A stunning cut or dried flower, they like rich, well-draining soil and good sunlight for optimum performance. They are also much loved for the fact that deer and rodents do not like to eat them!
Plant the larger Allium bulbs 6" to 8" deep and 8" to 10" apart. Plant the smaller Allium bulbs 4" deep and 3" to 4" apart. Bloom time: May through August, depending on the variety. Height: variable, depending on the variety. Variable horticultural zones ranging from 3-10, depending on the variety.

Collection S: Essential Late Spring Perennial Bulbs

Dutch show gardens feature an increasingly diverse selection of special miscellaneous bulbs in both formal and free-form, natural designs. Eranthis, Galanthus and Oxalis are planted prolifically in meandering woodland drifts. Allium, Brodiaea and Camassia are clustered in substantive drifts among early summer perennials. Collection S will help you become familiar with the intricate beauty and big impact of these perennial gems. Estimated planting area: 50 square feet.
Ht. 12” to 24”; Blooms May-June; Plant 3” to 5” deep, and 3” to 4” apart; HZ: 5-7.

Allium azureum

Syn: A. caeruleum, Blue of the Heavens. Circa 1830, dense, 1 1/2" spheres of cornflower-blue florets with darker midveins; Bulb size: 4 cm/up; Blooms June; Ht. 24"; HZ: 4-7.

Allium sphaerocephalon

Syn: The Drumstick Allium. Great naturalizer with dense, crimson-purple, egg-shaped flowers. Bulb size: 6 cm/up; Blooms July; Ht. 24"; HZ: 4-9.

Brodiaea

Also known as the "Fool's Onion," Brodiaea is a northwest native with bell or funnel-shaped flowers and grass-like foliage. A terrific cut flower, it will appreciate a home in your garden with a bit of protection and good sunlight. (It has also been classified as Triteleia and Dichelostemma.) Ht: 14" to 24" depending on variety. Blooms: May-July depending on variety. Plant 4" deep and 3" to 4" apart. HZ: 6-9.

Brodiaea Queen Fabiola

Syn: Triteleia Queen Fabiola, Ithuriel's Spear. This award-winner has clusters of blue-violet, star-shaped flowers with darker midveins; Bulb size: 6 cm/up; Blooms May/June; Ht. 18" to 24"; HZ: 6-9. US native.

Camassia

Another northwest native, Camassia is also known as the "Quamash," or the "Wild Hyacinth." It has lengthy, flowering racemes on upright stalks with long, narrow foliage. It is a perfect choice for mass, naturalized plantings along streams or ponds since it requires a bit of moist soil and moderate to good sunlight. Ht: 15" to 30" depending on variety. Blooms: May/June. Plant 5" deep and 5" apart. HZ: 4-8.

Camassia quamash

Syn: C. esculenta. Circa 1837, pale to deep lavender-blue; Bulb size: 6 cm/up; Blooms May/June; Ht. 15"; HZ: 4-8. US native.

Gladiolus communis ssp. byzantinus

Circa 1629, dense spires of glowing, purple-red flowers, a white-striped interior and sword-like foliage; Bulb size: 6 cm/up; Blooms May/June; Ht. 16" to 24"; Plant 6" deep and 6" apart; HZ: 5-9.

Hyacinthoides

Naturalizing readily for years of spectacular color, Hyacinthoides thrive in rockgardens, woodland areas, border plantings, and in perennial beds. Also known as bluebells, they are prized for their naturalizing capabilities. Hyacinthoides used to be classified as Scilla, or Endymion, and are taller than Scilla with pendant, bell-shaped flowers. Ht: 4" to 18" depending on variety. Blooms: variable, early Spring through June depending on variety. Hyacinthoides: plant 4" deep, 4" apart. HZ: 3-8.

Hyacinthoides hispanica Excelsior

Syn: Spanish Bluebells. Circa 1601, it produces 15 to 20, bell-shaped, pendant flowers on strong stems with strap-shaped foliage. This 1906 award-winner is blue-violet with darker marine-blue mid-veins; Bulb size: 8 cm/up; Blooms May; Ht. 12" to 15"; HZ 3-8.

Ixiolirion pallasii

Syn: I. tataricum. Circa 1821, this naturalizer has umbels of deep violet-blue flowers with darker midveins and grass-like foliage; Bulb size: 4 cm/up; Blooms late May/June; Ht. 15"; Plant 5" deep, and 4" apart; HZ: 5-8.

Oxalis adenophylla

Syn: Wood Sorrel. A South American native circa 1905, it is an enchanting ground cover with white to lilac-pink, dainty flowers on little, wiry stems above attractive, clover-like foliage. Blooming for about a month, it is perfect for rockgardens and border plantings; Blooms May/June; Ht. 2” to 4”; Plant the whiskery corms 4” deep and 4” apart; HZ: 4-9.

Collection I: Showy Naturalizing Narcissi I

Collection I includes some of the best naturalizers – most of which have won prestigious horticultural awards for their substance and form. Estimated planting area: 50 square feet. Ht: 18” to 20”; Blooms April; Plant 6” to 8” deep, and 6” apart; HZ: 3-7.

Daffodils are hardy, long-lived, clump-forming bulbs that are good for naturalizing. Unlike tulips they are poisonous, so they are not eaten by small mammals and their green tops are not browsed by deer. These are some of the easiest bulbs to grow. They prefer full to part sun, and require average to fertile soil. Plant bulbs in early- to mid-fall at a depth two to three times their width. After blooming, it is good to let their green tops photosynthesize to allow them to store plenty of fuel for next spring’s display. Once their leaves start to turn yellow, they can be cut to the ground.

Narcissus Delibes

Long-lasting, award-winning Delibes has an overlapping, golden-yellow perianth and a shallow, bowl-shaped crown of lemon-yellow with a broad orange rim. Bulb size: 14/16 cm.; Blooms April; Ht. 18" to 20"; HZ: 3-7.

Narcissus Sound

Occasionally producing multiple stems per bulb, Sound has creamy-white petals and a golden-orange, disk-shaped cup with a darker, melon-orange, ruffled rim. A bit fragrant, Sound is outward facing and just glorious. Bulb size: 12/14 cm.; Blooms April; Ht. 16” to 18”; HZ: 3-7.

Narcissus Ice Follies

A spectacular Konijnenburg & Mark variety, this huge, award-winning naturalizer has icy-white petals surrounding a flat, frilled, chartreuse-yellow crown which magically turns white. Bulb size: 14/16 cm.; Blooms April; Ht. 18" to 20"; HZ: 3-7.

Narcissus Salome

One of the most popular "pink" daffodils, the large-cup hybrid 'Salome' was also one of the earliest to be introduced (1960). It has smooth, rounded, creamy white petals and a long, narrow, funnel-shaped cup which opens yellow but matures to soft pinkish-orange with an orange-yellow rim. They are borne on medium-tall stems from mid- to late spring. This cultivar received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Pink daffodils, such as 'Salome,' usually hold their color better with some shade. Blooms Spring; Ht. 14”-20”; HZ: 3 - 9.

Brodiaea coccinea

Syn: Dichelostemma ida-maia, the California Firecracker. Circa 1870, clusters of tubular, 1" red flowers with greenish-yellow tips; Blooms May/June; Ht. 24"; HZ: 6-9. US native.