Chionodoxa luciliae 'Alba' (glory of the snow) white flowers with fern

Here’s a pretty combination of blue and white bulbs. The Chionodoxa luciliae ‘Alba’ (white glory of the snow) and Scilla siberica (squills) have the same flowering schedule, and show up right after the crocus.

Chionodoxa luciliae 'Alba' (glory of the snow) closeup of flowers

Chionodoxa luciliae commonly comes in a very pretty blue colour, a little lighter than the Scilla. I enjoy the colour, but the white ‘Alba’ are attractive, too, and also coordinate with blue bulbs. The Chionodoxa flowers face upwards, unlike the Scilla, for maximum impact. These groups have filled in nicely, and returned with more flowers. It’s heartening to see bulbs that improve in appearance each spring, rather than slowly fading away quickly over a few years like some do.

Scilla siberica (squills) with blue flowers in May

Scilla siberica are a pure saturated blue. The little blue flowers face downwards, but since both the back and front of the petals are brightly coloured, you can still get an overall effect of a a little piece of the sky. They are very charming and easy to grow, spreading slowly over the years. Since the squill foliage  disappear after spring is done, they don’t interfere with any other plants.

Chionodoxa luciliae 'Alba' (glory of the snow), Scilla siberica (squills), and Puschkinia

Both of these small spring bulbs bloom at the same time as the blue and white striped Puschkinia libanotica, which you can see at the back of the photo. The Puschkinia start first, then the Chionodoxa, and the Scilla join in last. All three of these spring bulbs are reliable, withstanding the cold of zone 3, and returning with strong blooms in early to mid spring. After the flowers are through, it doesn’t take long for the foliage to store up energy for next year, and then die back. Since the leaves are small, they are not as noticeable as tulip and daffodil leaves after the flowers are done, while you wait for them to whither. I find that planting them next to ferns or later perennials hides the decaying leaves quickly.

Chionodoxa luciliae 'Alba' (glory of the snow), Scilla siberica (squills) and Pulmonaria

Both the Chionodoxa and Scilla handle part shade well. In the picture above, they are planted adjacent to some Pulmonaria ‘Majeste’ (lungwort), which you can see on the right. It should have it’s own blue flowers in a few weeks.

Chionodoxa luciliae 'Alba' (glory of the snow) white flowers with Dryopteris

You can see some of the fern fronds between the white blooms, like greenery added to a bouquet in a vase. These Chionodoxa luciliae are planted beside a Dryopteris expansa (spiny wood fern). which is semi-evergreen. The fern keeps some fronds over the winter, so it has ready made greenery to pair with the glory of the snow, as the other ferns are still emerging.

Scilla siberica (squills) with Matteuccia struthiopteris ferns

These squill flowers are resting on the new fiddleheads of the Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern), pretty blue with alien looking green and brown. The fuzzy looking fiddleheads will unroll very quickly now, growing a metre or so (3 to 4 feet) in a month.

Scilla siberica (squills) with blue flowers

Here you can see the true blue of the Scilla siberica. Both of these bulbs are diminutive, at only 10cm to 25 cm (4 to 10 in) tall, so they look sweet in groups, but a little lost individually. They  provide some early flower colour as the first perennials are barely starting to bloom. They look very natural, so you can plant them in a more formal garden bed, or under the trees for a woodland setting.

Here is a gallery showing different photos of the squills and glory of the snow. You can click on any small photo to see it full size.

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica striped squill flower closeup

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica (striped squills) flower after my spring crocus with charming blue stripes on a white background. From a distance, the effect is of a pale blue flower, but up close you can see the perky blue stripes on both the back and front of the light coloured petals.

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica striped squill with Pulmonaria

Here the Pucschkinia are flowering with the fresh foliage of the Pulmonaria (lungwort). The stripes of the squills look good with the speckles of the perennial Pulmonaria leaves. The bulbs also come in an all white version, Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica ‘Alba’, if you don’t want blue in your colour scheme (but that’s hard to imagine). I have some of the all white Alba next to the striped flowers in another garden section.

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica with Scilla and Chionodoxa bulbs

These  are planted with some other flower bulbs, some pure blue Scilla (squills) and some pure white Chionodoxa luciliae ‘Alba’ (white glory of the snow). I really like the blue, white and blue striped bulbs together. The striped squills are at the back of the picture, with the blue squills on the left, and the glory of the snow at the front. The glory of the snow more commonly comes in a very pretty blue colour, which I have planted in some other garden beds.

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica white and blue striped flower bulbs

In the photo above you can see that the striped squills have a slight resemblance to their distant relations, the hyacinths, although they don’t have the scent of their larger cousins. The groups of 5 petals face out in all directions around the stalks, which gives them a full look. Each bulb sends up multiple stems, so the whole patch gives a good display.

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica striped squill in flower

These Pucschkinia are getting a sun bath, as the light filters through the bare branches of a tree. They handle shade fairly well, but seem to appreciate the part sun they get here before the tree fully leafs out. Another grouping gets an eastern exposure, with just some morning light, and they do very well, too. I have another cluster of them planted on the north side of my house, with almost no direct light, and they have been flowering well for a number of years. In the deeper shade they do get a little floppier after a few days.

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica pretty spring flower bulbs

It works well to plant these flower bulbs next to some perennials that come up later, so they fill the bare areas in spring, and the rising perennials will hide the decaying bulb foliage. I have some striped squills next to some ferns, that are slower to come up, and also next to some Epimedium (bishop’s cap).

Pucschkinia are robust bulbs that return reliably, even after a zone 3 winter. Some springs they get snowed on, and they just shrug it off, and keep flowering. They really don’t require much in the way of care, other than being planted in the fall, and then the pretty blue striped flowers appear in spring for a number of years. Here is another article showing Puschkinia.

carpet of Crocus vernus in purple and white

Crocus vernus (large Dutch crocus) make a great display when planted in a large group. These crocus have come back with more blooms and larger than last year. The abundance of colourful petals makes me smile every time I observe them out the window, or stroll to this side of the garden.

Crocus vernus 'Remembrance' with pollinator

Gardeners aren’t the only ones who appreciate crocus. Many pollinators have been buzzing around these flowers, including lots of bees and bumble bees. This one carries lots of pollen on its fuzzy back.

Crocus vernus 'Remembrance' closed and open purple flowers

Crocus vernus ‘Remembrance’ is  a solid, saturated purple, with a bright orange contrast of pistil and anthers in the centre. I’ve put a shot of the closed buds at the top of the photo, and the open flowers underneath. This area is shaded early in the day, so the petals unfurl by late morning. Even the closed petals are quite pretty, but the open petals really fill the space. This colour looks great next to the striped purple crocus.

Crocus vernus 'Pickwick' flowers closed and opened

Crocus vernus ‘Pickwick’ is a light purple, with darker purple stripes. Like ‘Remembrance’, they have large showy flower cups. When the sun is lower, and the petals are folded upright, they look a little more blue, like the top part of the photo.These are great looking crocus, and coordinate beautifully with the solid white and purple crocus. Adjacent to golden crocus they really pop.

Crocus vernus 'Striped Beauty' open and closed flowers

Crocus vernus ‘Striped Beauty’ is very similar to ‘Pickwick’, with purple stripes. In the garden they are pretty much interchangeable. My ‘Striped Beauty might be a little lighter in colour. As you can see at the top of  the picture above, the closed blooms appear a bit more blue than purple.

Crocus vernus 'Silver Coral' open and closed flowers

Crocus vernus ‘Silver Coral’ have white petals, with a dark purple base. When they are folded up, the purple is more noticeable, and coordinates well next to the purple ‘Remembrance’. These look terrific combined with the solid purple and striped purple crocus.

Crocus 'Yellow Mammoth' in sun

Crocus ‘Yellow Mammoth’ is the sunniest, brightest gold colour. These are extra cheerful, and look super combined with purple crocus.’Yellow Mammoth’ opens a little after the the Crocus vernus start, but have a good overlap in bloom time. They will be the last crocus flowering.

crocus flowers under branches in spring

The crocus are planted under a lilac. They are spaced in between perennials, which will take over the flower show in another month. Despite being planted in pockets, they make a full arrangement of blooms, looking like a series of bouquets. You can barely see the narrow green leaves, with central white stripe, because of all the flowers. The ‘Yellow Mammoth’ were just coming out in the picture above, but now they too are large bouquets.

Crocus vernus in purple and gold with Crocus chrysanthus at back

This photo shows some Dutch crocus at the front, packed with flowers, with the Crocus chrysanthus (snow crocus) behind. Because of the way the deep  snow melted this year, the snow crocus blooms were a little delayed, so the both the early snow crocus and later Dutch crocus bloomed around the same time, making for a good bulb display.

Crocus vernus large dutch crocus mixed flowers

The crocus colours coordinate so beautifully together to make a lively spring show. What a glorious start to the flower parade. Many of my other plants have more subtle flowers, or beautiful leaf patterns, but the crocus start the season with a cymbal crash, saying winter is over.

You can see more Crocus vernus pictures from last spring. In the garden section I’ve shown here, there are around 200 of the Dutch crocus and 200 of the snow crocus. While across a narrow path, there is another group of 200 crocus bulbs that I planted last fall. They may only bloom for three weeks or so, but the vivid display in early spring is well worth all of the fall bulb digging.

I’ve made a gallery to show a number of Crocus vernus pictures from this spring. You can click on any of the small photos and they will enlarge to full size.

Crocus chrysanthus snow crocus with yellow and light blue flowers

Crocus chrysanthus (snow crocus) are one of the first bulbs to flower in spring, with delicate little petals in cheery colours. The only bulbs in my garden that flowered earlier this year were the Galanthus (snowdrops). I look forward to the sight of all of these miniature flowers appearing as the snow melts. Crocus vernus (large Dutch crocus) flowers are double the size of the snow crocus. However, even though each snow crocus flower is small, as a large drift they make a wonderful patchwork of colour against the brown of  last fall’s leaves.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' sunny yellow flowers with maroon stripes

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Gipsy Girl’ has medium yellow petals, and on the outside there are zippy maroon coloured stripes that show up well when the petals are closed. In the brightest light of day, the petals open wide to show a glowing yellow, and the contrasting stripes are not very visible. Instead, there are  golden anthers in each cup.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' with closed petals in gold and maroon

In early morning,  evening, or on a cloudy day, the petals fold upright, so the stripes on the outside make them a little more flamboyant. In the picture above you can see how the coloured lines curve up to the petal tips.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' in front with 'Blue Pearl' behind

Here you can see a group of yellow ‘Gipsy Girl’ snow crocus  in the front, with the pale blue colour of ‘Blue Pearl’ behind.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' with Crocus chrysanthus'Blue Pearl'

Above you can see the petals of  ‘Gipsy Girl’ opening as the sun hits them. Last year, the ‘Gipsy Girl’ and the similar looking ‘Fuscotinctus’ crocus were about the same size, but this year the  ‘Gipsy Girl’ flowers are almost twice as big. If I plant any more next fall, I would go with ‘Gipsy Girl’ instead of Fuscotinctus’.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Fuscotinctus' yellow flowers

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Fuscotinctus’ is another snow crocus with a bright yellow colour embellished with contrasting maroon stripes on the outside of the petals. The petals are a little darker than ‘Gipsy Girl’, so if you want a more golden coloured snow crocus these are a good choice.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' flowers with butter yellow petals

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’ has delicate shadings of soft, butter yellow and cream. These look great with other darker yellow flowers, or with light colours like ‘Blue Pearl’.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' flowers in dappled light

Here the Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’ have a bit of dappled light, under the bare branches of a maple tree. The crocus would not be as decorative in the shade, with their petals always folded, but in early spring, they do well before the leaves come out on the trees.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' flowers

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Blue Pearl’ is a real chameleon of a crocus. In bright light it looks all white, with no hint of its name. However, when the sun is low, or with a few shadows, it can appear very blue. The outside of the petals are more blue, so the colour is more pronounced when they start to fold in dimmer light.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Snow Bunting' snow crocus in white

My Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’ flowered first this year, perhaps because the snow melted a little quicker in this area of the garden. Their white petals are beautiful in the bright sun, and they show up perfectly against the dark earth. Inside at the base, the bottom of the petals have a gold coloured ring to match the anthers.

Crocus chrysanthus snow crocus in yellow and light blue

These crocus are planted in between hardy geraniums, which are still underground. I planted these in holes dug around the perennials,  around 15 to 20 per hole. There are around 200 Crocus chrysanthus, and 200 Crocus vernus in this section.  As the crocus fade away through spring, the geraniums start emerging, and cover the fading bulb foliage. In the centre is a lilac, with leaf buds that are just starting to swell. The layering of a small lilac shrub above,  hardy geranium ‘Rozanne’ perennials under, and snow crocus and Crocus vernus (large Dutch crocus) bulbs between has been very successful, and one that I can recommend. Here are some more Crocus chrysanthus photos and information from last year.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' snow crocus with Crocus vernus behind

I’m very pleased with how the cheery little snow crocus are flourishing. They have come back with more and larger flowers this year, despite a harsh winter. Since some bulbs tend to fade away year after year, it is great to see the snow crocus getting better as they settle in. They make a wonderful start to the gardening year.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Snow Bunting' (snow crocus) collage

These Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’ started flowering at the edge of the snow, just a day after it melted from above them. You can see the rest of the snow behind them, which still covers much of the garden. The little snow crocus don’t bother waiting for promises of warmer days. They get right to work, unrolling their pure white petals to expose the golden anthers inside. Any awakening pollinators should be happy to find the crocus flowers.

I planted the ‘Snow Bunting’ two falls ago, and they have twice as many flowers on them as last year. It’s good to know that they appreciate the site and are flourishing. This area gets shadier in the summer, but gets a medium amount of light in early spring, when the crocus can use it.

I have many other snow crocus just a little ways over, but they are still covered in deeper snow. If this warm weather continues, they might be flowering by the end of the week. We had deep cover this winter, so where snow patches have melted closer to the warmth of the house, the green of Crocus vernus (large Dutch crocus) has started to appear. Although they usually flower after the little snow crocus, they might be first this year, other than ‘Snow Bunting’. If the C. vernus flower early, and the C. chrysanthus flower late, they might both flower together this spring, which should make for a great display.

Galanthus elwesii first snowdrops

The Galanthus elwesii are also early risers. This is a ladybug’s view of the flowers, where you can see the details of green markings on the inner petals. The snowdrops are such graceful looking flowers, for having such a tough disposition. Mine don’t seem to spread much, and are still a fairly small patch.

The rest of the snowdrop bulbs are just popping their tips above the leaves. I leave the fallen leaves on the garden as a protective mulch, and have just started removing it, where it’s not still frozen to the ground. There are some other early spring bulbs nearby showing a few green tips through the leaves. The Chionodoxa (glory of the snow) and Scilla (squills) should be up soon, and will start flowering quickly, too.

earliest spring bulb flowers

Above is a collage of some early spring sightings this weekend. On the upper left is a picture of a fat, pink Helleborus bud. The Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ perennials are full of these plump buds, which look as attractive as flowers. In another week or so, they should be opening as well. On the upper right are the leaves of Crocus vernus. There are dozens and dozens of them looking like green spears thrusting out of the old, crystallized snow and ice.

These first bulbs are flowering about 3 weeks later than last year. After a long off-season, it’s so heartening to finally see the first blooms. Now that the ground can finally feel the warmth of the sun, the rest of the bulbs should be coaxed out soon, and liven up the garden. I love the earliest spring bulbs that satisfy your thirst for blooms after the long flower drought, so pretty, so dainty,  and so appreciated.

There is a patch of both Crocus vernus and Crocus chrysanthus (snow crocus) just across the path here. You can follow those links to see what they looked like in bloom. They were such a bright cheery sight in earliest spring, that I wanted to spread more colour over to this section of the garden. The Paeonia (peony), Phlox and Campanula (bellflower) perennials in this bed won’t be up until later in spring, so these crocus bulbs will start the colour parade. Then the later rising perennial foliage will hide the decaying bulb leaves.

Crocus vernus bulbs about to be planted

I enjoyed the purple and gold colour scheme so much last spring, that I wanted to recreate it here. This is a smaller space to plant in,  because I can’t plant between the large bearded iris rhizomes or evergreen Dianthus. I debated about either going with the extra early snow crocus for first flowers, or the larger Dutch crocus, and ended up deciding on the large Crocus vernus. Originally, I was going to try out some new types, but I ended up planting the same Crocus corms that I planted last Fall, since I liked the large flowers and bright colours so much.

Crocus vernus 'Remembrance' large dutch crocus in spring

Crocus vernus ‘Remembrance’ have large purple flowers, very bold and showy. In the picture of the packages at the top, their position is mostly hidden behind the Phlox plants. The photo directly above is from last spring, showing how cheery the purple petals are. There are 30 of these in the new section, but I wish I had put more of them at the back to balance the striped ones. If I can find more ‘Remembrance’, I’m going to extend the group.

Crocus vernus 'Pickwick' large Dutch crocus bulbs

Crocus vernus ‘Pickwick’ have purple and white stripes. These ones coordinate beautifully with ‘Remembrance’, as do the similarly coloured ‘Striped Beauty’. Both of these types of striped crocus are planted in front of the solid ‘Remembrance’. When planting in between perennials, I find it easiest to dig a hole for a group of 10 to 20, arrange the crocus bulbs randomly, settle them down in the loose soil at the bottom, and then cover them back up. There are 45 ‘Pickwick’ on one side and 30 ‘Striped Beauty’ planted here.

Crocus vernus 'Silver Coral' white with purple base

The Crocus vernus ‘Silver Coral’ bulbs are in between the two stripy versions. ‘Silver Coral’ is white with a purple base, so it is perfect for in the centre of the solid and striped purple ones. The shot above shows them from last April. At the back right of the picture, you can see how their base colour matches the Crocus vernus ‘Remembrance’. There are 30 ‘Silver Coral’ in the middle, to add a little rest from all of the purple.

Crocus 'Yellow Mammoth' bulbs being planted

In front of all of the the others are 40 Crocus ‘Yellow Mammoth’. These vivid crocus are a golden yellow, with a long bloom time. Their colour looks fabulous with the purples, a bright, cheery spring combination. The yellow really pops in front of the darker colours.

Crocus 'Yellow Mammoth' bulbs Dutch crocus packages

I also planted another 40 of the ‘Yellow Mammoth’ next to a separate group of blue Iris reticulata ‘Cantab’. Last year the Iris were in a group by themselves, underneath a Philadelphus (mockorange orange shrub). I think the ‘Yellow Mammoth’, which bloom at the same time, will make another pretty spring pairing. On impulse, I added another 30 ‘Striped Beauty’ next to the Iris and ‘Yellow Mammoth’ group. Now there will be purple and white striped crocus, then golden yellow crocus in the middle, and blue with gold-flecked iris on the other side. I’m eager to see how the three look together when they bloom.

It was a lot of fun planting crocus bulbs over the last few weekends, since the weather has been very warm for Edmonton, and the sun was shining. It feels good to have the warm sun on your skin, as you dig in the earth, and the Fall leaves gently waft down around you, then into the planting holes. It is one of my favourite parts of gardening. I always picture what the new bulbs will look like in spring as I plant, so I made a montage below to show how it looked in my mind.

Crocus vernus composite photo

The composite photo shows how the colours of the four crocus look  together in the relative positions in which they’ve been planted, purple behind, white with a hint of purple in the middle, purple and white stripes on each side, and golden crocus in front. Now I can’t wait until next April, for the bulb procession to start. I’m a big fan of the small early bulbs to start the garden season extra early with a burst of colour. They are the perfect antidote to the blandness of an Edmonton April. All around will be the monotonous beige of late winter, but the bright crocus will sing that the garden season has really begun.

Tulipa 'Foxtrot' 2 double pink tulips

‘Foxtrot’ flowers have various shades, from a light shell pink, through medium to rose pink. The blush shading of pink and white on each petal is very attractive. When they first open, each petal is almost pure white, before they develop their mature colour. The double petals can have a bit of a ruffle around the edges, giving them an attractive shape, almost like a peony. If they packed any more petals into the flower, they would look like my ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peony blooms.

Tulipa 'Foxtrot' 3 double tulips

These tulips also have a wonderful scent. I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet fragrance a group of them can give off. It reminds me a bit of my lilac. Between the lilac, tulips and lily of the valley, the garden is deliciously perfumed right now.

pink Tulipa 'Foxtrot' and blue Muscari

The above picture show the edge of the Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’ (grape hyacinth) group in front of the tulips. I’ve got over 50 ‘Foxtrot’ tulips planted in this group, and with the Muscari in front it is my favourite garden section right now. They look terrific with the smaller blue bulbs.

Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’ are a little shorter and sturdier, so they remain upright, even when they get a bit of snow. Because they are 30 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in), they look balanced when combined with shorter bulbs, like the Muscari.

With the cooler weather, these spring bulbs have been blooming for three weeks already and are still going strong. I’m very pleased with their vigour and appearance so far.  I planted them last Autumn, but since they are in a part shade location, I’m not sure yet how strongly they will come back next year.

I’ve made a gallery to show how pretty the ‘Foxtrot’ tulips look in a group as well as up close. You can click any of the small photos to see it full sized. It’s a pink extravaganza.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' and Tulipa 'Fox Trot'

Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’ is an extra full grape hyacinth, with double florets along the flower stalk. With all of the open petals, the stalks are very thick and showy. Planted closely, they make a luminous river of blue at the front of the garden bed. The grape hyacinths are 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in) tall, while the tulips behind are 30 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in) tall.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' closeup

This photo shows a closeup of the grape hyacinth just before the abundant petals have fully opened.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' flower closeup

Here is an image of a flower after it has fully opened.  You can see how lavishly the blue petals are packed on the flower stalk, making the grape hyacinth look  like a miniature hyacinth.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' flowers of blue

The photo above shows the intense blue colour of a group of the Muscari bulbs. This is my favourite bed right now. Just around the corner of the bed is a group of Brunnera (Siberian bugloss) with blue flowers too, and in the other direction are the blue Pulmonaria (lungwort) flowers.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' group

The ribbon of Muscari bulbs winds through some Campanula (bellflowers) in the picture above. When these brilliantly coloured bulbs die back for the summer, the Campanula here will replace them with their own blue flowers.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' with Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' behind

Beside the Muscari are some Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’, a double pink tulip with extra petals that make them extra showy.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' first opening

The ‘Foxtrot’ bulbs first open in a white colour, with curled and overlapping petals.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' after opening

Here is part of the group of tulips, just after they opened, still showing white petals.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' pink flower

Soon the ‘Foxtrot’ flowers develop their pink colouration. You can see the overall pale pink colour, with medium pink edges to the petals.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' pink flower closup

Here a ‘Foxtrot’ tulip bulb is opening up more, showing the graduations in pink shades, and developing a rose pink colour.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' pink flowers detail

This group of four shows the colour range they can have, from mostly white when new, to the stronger pink colouration as the flowers develop.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' with Tulipa behind

I had trouble getting the overall photos to show the pink colour of  ‘Foxtrot’ next to the vibrant ‘Blue Spike’, since at a distance the camera (or photographer) seems to capture the tulips as more pale than they are in person. There are over 50 of the tulip bulbs, but as sometimes happens with bulbs, a purple one sneaked into the package. There is also a bright red one with an orange edge. They are not well camouflaged in this pink and blue colour scheme, but I haven’t had the heart to remove the imposters yet.

When I planted the tulips and grape hyacinths last Fall, I wasn’t sure if they would bloom at the  same time, especially because bulbs can have such short flowering times,  so I’m happy to see that the bloom period overlaps closely. The Muscari started a few days before the tulips, and I think they might still bloom after the tulips are finished. Despite the snow we had over the last two days, the bulbs are still flowering upright. Both are sturdy bulbs, as well as being pretty. You can see more details of the pink Foxtrot tulips in this follow up post.

Do you have any favourite bulbs combinations?

Chionodoxa forbesii (glory of the snow)

These Chionodoxa forbesii (glory of the snow) are planted under a Hydrangea. The Hydrangea has yet to break any buds, but the glory of the snow are shining beautifully under the bare branches of the shrub. I adore the bright blue flowers, with the white centres. Each flower has six long petals, with a dark line down the middle of each. The white in the middle makes the flowers stand out even more. The upturned flowers of each bulb are very showy, but they look especially nice in groups.

Chionodoxa luciliae (glory of the snow) in shade

The Chionodoxa luciliae (glory of the snow) also have terrific blue flowers that face the sky. These bulbs are planted in a very shady area, but they still bloom each year. The flowers are behind a group of  Scilla, and together they make a beautiful garden bed of blue on the north side of my house. There are still some blue and white Puschkinia (striped squills) flowering next to them, after three weeks.

Scilla siberica (squills) blue flowers

Scilla siberica (squills) come in the prettiest, brightest blues. The flowers hang down from the stems, but the backs of the petals are as blue as the fronts. These squills have spread in this area of the garden, despite getting less than an hour of sun a day. I’m surprised they have been expanding each year, instead of declining under the adverse conditions.

blue spring bulbs in snow

The above photo shows why I appreciate these hardy spring bulbs in a cold climate. The Scilla siberica were getting battered on the morning of a snowstorm earlier this week. The snow actually got deeper during the day, and mostly covered up the blue flowers. After the snow melted, most of these hardy bulbs were still upright and flowering. Their resiliency and tolerance make them great choices for a northern garden. The first photo in the post of the Chionodoxa forbesii was also taken after the snowstorm had completely covered the flowers, and then melted. You couldn’t even tell that they had been buried now.

Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty' (squills) and Chionodoxa

I have a large group of  Scilla siberica ‘Spring Beauty’ next to some white Chionodoxa ‘Alba’, which flower at the same time. These two spring bulbs make a fresh looking combination in blue and white. This group in the back yard have some blue and white Pusckinia scilloides (striped squills)  flowering to the west in this bed. I waffled, and placed it in a post on white spring bulbs, but could easily have included it with the blues. All of these bulbs have long narrow leaves that fade away by summer, and are easily hidden by the growing perennials.

There are buds on the blue Muscari bulbs (grape hyacinths), but none have opened yet. The little blue spring flowers will continue for a while, once the Muscari fully open. Here is an earlier post with more blue bulb pictures.

I love cheerful flowers that endure and bloom, despite the conditions, instead of sulking and declining. Both Chionodoxa and Scilla are much tougher than their delicate petals and diminutive stature would suggest.

Scilla siberica (squills) blue flowers up close

Iris reticulata 'Cantab' (dwarf iris) long view

The dwarf Iris reticulata ‘Cantab’ bulbs produce gorgeous blooms of blue in spring. Although the plants are only 8 cm (3  in) tall, the flowers are large and put on a great display.

Iris reticulata Cantab blue dwarf iris group

The exquisite blooms of Iris reticulata ‘Cantab’ have a brilliant blue colour scheme.  The petals are reminiscent of their relatives, the larger bearded iris. The three falls (lower petals) are highlighted by a small yellow speckled band in the centre, while the three standards (upright petals) are solid blue. There are also three long style crests that extend over the lower petals. If you lift the flap of the style crest, you can see the yellow band extending all the way to the base of the petal, making an entry way for pollinators. These blooms look fantastic from a distance, or when studied up close.

Iris reticulata Cantab blue dwarf iris by mockorange

The dwarf iris blooms last a few weeks, and then the plants fade back for the season, to reappear next spring, unless they produce lots of little bulbs that don’t flower. I have mine planted at the base of a mockorange shrub. It works well, because the bulb iris are blooming now, while the shrub is mostly bare and the leaf buds are just breaking. The pretty iris blooms bring the bare area at the bottom to life. When the iris have faded, the shrub will have leafed out and taken over the space.

Iris reticulata 'Cantab' blue dwarf iris

There are shade perennials in front that are just starting to appear,  so they don’t block the iris flowers now, but they will grow to block the view of the fading iris foliage, after they are done blooming. In front are some Brunnera macrophylla (Siberian bugloss), Athyrium (ferns), Pulmonaria (lungwort), and Asarum (wild ginger). All are still shorter than the iris.

Iris reticulata 'Cantab' (dwarf iris) blue petals

These bulbs are layered around shrubs, with perennials in front, to pack as much flowering time into the space as possible. I’ve grown them next to peonies before, which also do a good job of covering the old iris foliage after flowering.

Iris reticulata 'Cantab' (dwarf iris) pretty group

I grew Iris reticulata ‘Cantab’ and ‘Harmony’ at my last garden, but after a few years or so, the bulbs fade out, and don’t produce as good of a show. I planted these bulbs last Fall, and I’m going to see if I can get them to establish for longer this time, but I might have to replant.  Although their bloom time each spring is short, the wonderful flowers are worth it. With later rising perennials planted in front of them, there doesn’t have to be a bare space when their season is over.

Iris reticulata 'Cantab' and Crocus 'Yellow Mammoth'

There is a group of forty dwarf iris here. I’m going to expand the group next Autumn with another forty or fifty bulbs to one side, behind some Pulmonaria (lungwort) and over to an Aruncus (goat’sbeard). Both perennials are still very small in April, so there is space for some more pretty blue bulbs behind them. The crocus ‘Yellow Mammoth’ are flowering at the same time in the next garden bed over. I’m going to include some of those golden bulbs with the extension. I made a composite photo of the Iris and crocus colour combination. After waiting all winter, I take delight in the explosion of colour when the bulbs start to bloom.

Iris reticulata Cantab dwarf iris blue and yellow