Bulbs for Colorado Gardens
At Harlequin’s Gardens, we have been experimenting for years with bulbs in our display gardens. Since our gardens are xeriscapes (by default even where not by design), we have had the pleasure of discovering that a great many delightful bulbs can thrive and naturalize in our conditions and enliven the scene in spring and fall. No surprise, really, since most of these hardy spring and autumn-blooming bulbs originated in parts of the world with conditions much like ours, such as Central Asia. Visitors to our gardens have been wowed by enormous Star of Persia Alliums and brilliant sapphire miniature iris, and charmed by perky miniature daffodils and starry species tulips and crocus. They (you) kept asking us “where can I get these?”, so in 2008, we carefully selected our first-ever offering of bulbs for sale at Harlequin’s Gardens.
Since then, we have added more than 30 wonderful varieties. The bulb list is what we are offering this fall. Quantities are limited and often sell out quickly. We recommend that you purchase your bulbs in September and hold them for planting when the soil is cooler (except Saffron Crocus and Crocus speciosus, which should be planted in September). Planting depths are to the bottom of the planting hole where the base of the bulb rests. Planting depth can vary depending on how light or heavy your soil is – plant deeper in light soils, shallower in heavier soils. As a general rule planting depth is 3 times the height of the bulb. Single Early, Triumph, Darwin Hybrid, and Multi-flowering tulips should be planted 8″ deep to perform as perennials and fertilized each year just after bloom. Be sure to allow the leaves and stems to wither naturally before cutting them down.
Here are some ideas for ways and places to use bulbs that you may not have thought of. One idea is to plant small early-blooming bulbs, such as many of the species tulips, where the ground is exposed in spring but will be covered in summer by spreading herbaceous perennials like Desert Four-O’Clock (Mirabilis multiflora), ‘Orange Carpet’ California Fuschia (Zauschneria garrettii), or Wine Cups (Callirhoe involucrata). Also, meadows and drifts of ornamental grasses are usually dormant until mid to late spring, and present a perfect stage for a brilliant display of many types of early spring bulbs. Deciduous groundcovers that emerge in mid-spring, like Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides), can partner nicely with Iris reticulata and small species tulips.
We have some new varieties of Amaryllis, a long-time symbol of the holidays, as well as some classic favorites. We’re offering traditional red, white, and several blended, pink, and apricot varieties – a fun way to change-up your holiday decorating! (Pictured: Amaryllis Apricot Parfait, left, and Apple Blossom, right. Photo credit: Holland Bulb Farms.)
The most cold-hardy of the species of Lycoris available in commerce today (Zone 5), L. squamigera is often called Resurrection lily because the leaves disappear in summer with the flowering stalks seemingly rising from the dead in late summer. Thick naked flower scapes rise to 18-24” tall in August or September, each bearing 4 to 7 large, showy, funnel-shaped, lilac-rose pink flowers that are very fragrant!
Potted Paperwhites bring intoxicating fragrance to your home in winter, and make wonderful holiday gifts. Bears trusses of heavily-scented, pure white flowers on up to three stems per bulb. They may be planted in all kinds of decorative pots, vases and trays, either in soil or pebbles, September through February. Rodent-proof.
One of the earliest harbingers of spring are flowering bulbs, which people and bees all seem to welcome. One aspect of bulbs that may be underrated is their scent. Many bulbs are fragrant, bringing an added dimension to their enjoyment. Some of our most fragrant bulbs include:
Have you noticed that your daffodils and narcissus have been struggling and lost their vigor? Here are several possible reasons why and ways to address reviving them.
Dense, four-inch diameter globes of starry red-purple florets atop stems up to 24” to 36” tall. Very showy, and the earliest large-flowered ornamental onions, blooming in mid-spring. Thrives in full sun to part-shade, and naturalizes by self-sowing. Stunning, long-lasting cut-flower. The dry seed-heads are also highly ornamental in the garden and in flower arrangements.
Inch-and-a-half globes of gorgeous true-blue flowers are borne abundantly atop 12”-18” stems in May and June. Native to Siberia, this easy-to-grow flowering onion is very accommodating, and will grow in sun or part-shade almost anywhere, including xeriscape gardens and at high elevations. Dry seed-heads are also attractive in the garden and in dry bouquets, but this flower re-seeds readily, so if you want to maintain population control we recommend dead-heading.
A most surprising, outrageous flower for xeriscapes! The giant globes, to 10” diameter or more, are held on fairly short stems, 8”-18” tall, blooming in mid-spring. The hundreds of starry, silver-lavender florets each have a green ‘eye’ are arranged so that their petal-tips touch to form a perfect sphere. This easy naturalizer has been highly successful in our xeriscape display gardens, eliciting lots of interest. Also spectacular in large flower arrangements, fresh or dried.
Circa 1857, this delicate-looking yet easy-growing North American native has composite 3″ globes of star-shaped, sparkling white flowers with pale lavender stamens tipped with purple anthers and sturdy stems.
An enchanting, early-blooming member of the Buttercup family that grows from a tuber. Where happy, it spreads to form a carpet-like groundcover with ferny deep green foliage and 1”- wide open-faced sky-blue daisy flowers with yellow eyes. Provides a long-lasting display in early spring.
Blue Glory of the Snow is a deer proof bulb with compact 6-8” spikes of cheerful, white eyed, bright blue flowers in early spring. Chionodoxa is very attractive when planted in large drifts of many bulbs, and naturalizes readily.
A cheerful mix of many colors and forms of super-early ‘snow crocus’!
Spring Beauty is an elegant and hard-to-find variety with bright lavender blue flowers marked with striking deep violet flames on the outer petals, a paler lavender-purple interior, pale yellow anthers and grass-like foliage with narrow, median silvery stripes.
Crocus seiberi ‘Firefly’ is a tiny treasure 2-4” tall that multiplies rapidly and lights up the late-winter garden with lilac-violet flowers accented by golden throats and orange anthers. The grass-like foliage has narrow, median silvery stripes.
This fall-blooming crocus emerges as a cheery surprise in October or November with bright violet-purple open cupped petals and brilliant orange stigmas, the source of the precious spice, saffron. The blooms are accompanied by short blades of dark green, grass-like foliage which elongates after the flowers have finished and may re-appear in spring.
A superb selection of the blue Fall Crocus, Conqueror blooms in early to mid-autumn, arriving to brighten the garden at a time when many other plants have finished blooming. Conqueror’s very large, deep sky-blue flowers with golden-orange stigmas and anthers stand 5 or 6” tall and emerge without the narrow grassy foliage that will follow bloom. They will naturalize, and over the years, the clumps increase in size and duration of bloom.
Crocus vernus varieties bloom later and have larger flowers than ‘botanical’ crocus. They create a big, cheerful splash of color in the spring garden that few hardy plants can achieve. This mix contains a compatible blend of purple, yellow, white and striped varieties that will all bloom at the same time.
Pendant, bell-shaped white flowers with green-tipped petals are a classic harbinger of spring. They look wonderful planted in groups and may bloom as early as February. Commonly called snowdrop, this bulbous perennial is native to Europe and southwestern Asia.
Dense columns of waxy, pure white florets appear in mid-spring on sturdy stems. Aiolos has an intense, sweet fragrance and is a long-lasting cut flower.
All these highly fragrant Dutch Hyacinth varieties are perfect for spring gardens and for forcing indoors in pots or hyacinth glasses. They are long-lived in the garden if fertilized after blooming, and after the first year they will produce more flower spikes that are less densely packed and more natural-looking. Hyacinths are quite easy to grow in a sunny or partly shaded spot.
All these highly fragrant Dutch Hyacinth varieties are perfect for spring gardens and for forcing indoors in pots or hyacinth glasses. They are long-lived in the garden if fertilized after blooming, and after the first year they will produce more flower spikes that are less densely packed and more natural-looking. Hyacinths are quite easy to grow in a sunny or partly shaded spot.
A spring gem for dry or moderately watered gardens in shade and part-shade. This long-blooming bulb from Chile and Uruguay sends up a mound of grassy foliage in autumn that persists over winter and begins blooming in early spring, producing a long succession of sweetly fragrant starry cobalt blue flowers through late spring, each atop its own 3”-6” stem. Multiplies to form a groundcover until summer when the foliage goes dormant. Also lovely planted under taller mid-spring bulbs such as ‘Tete a Tete’ miniature daffodils.
Iris Blue Hill is an outstanding recent introduction. This sweetly scented little gem has good-sized saturated blue flowers with darker blue and prominent yellow blotches on the falls. Flowers are held on strong 4-5” stems, and each bulb will produce a succession of blooms over a couple of weeks in late winter.
An irresistible little iris that grows no more than 5-6″ tall. Its dazzling, royal blue petals have showy white and yellow markings and the flowers are sweetly fragrant! Perfect for rock gardens or along a walkway where the soil is well-drained and relatively dry. Blooms in late winter along with the crocuses.
The Apple Blossom Amaryllis produces a gorgeous flower, having pure white petals brushed with pink.
This very floriferous 1930 Heirloom tazetta hybrid should be planted where you’ll notice and enjoy its strong and heavenly perfume. The late-midseason blooms have a dainty orange-red cups surrounded by large pure white petals and the bulbs produce many out-facing flowers on each 14”-16” stem and increase well, making a striking display and provide wonderful fragrant cut flowers.
A very striking daffodil and a consistent blue-ribbon winner, Pacific Rim’s flowers have a rich yellow perianth and cup, with the short cup rimmed with a band of scarlet. Blooms and stems are also very sturdy and weather-resistant, as well as deer and rodent-proof.
This 1938 Heirloom hybrid triandrus-type miniature daffodil bears many little elfin, light lemon – yellow nodding bells with short demitasse cups and swept back petals. Each 5-6” slender stem bears one or two of these dainty blooms with wonderful, fruity fragrance. It is one of the most adaptable and seems to thrive in partial shade or full sun, growing beautifully forced in pots, shining, and thriving growing in scree or dryer areas as well as in the garden border.
An old favorite for naturalizing, and another Cyclamineus daffodil. Bright and cheerful in the garden, with reflexed vivid yellow petals and orange-red trumpet. ‘Jetfire’ is early blooming, and increases rapidly to form showy colonies. Very long-blooming, tough and adaptable. Also good for forcing indoors.
While ‘Altruist’ Narcissus has the classic daffodil look, the colors are anything but ordinary! This striking award-winner has a 3″ coppery golden-orange perianth that pales as it matures, the perfect background for the shallow, bowl-shaped crimson-orange cup. Altruist is long-lived and floriferous, and its unusual and gorgeous coloring make it a stand-out in the garden and as a cut flower. Pest-proof!
Narcissus poeticus ‘Pheasant’s Eye’ is a very old heirloom variety. The wonderfully fragrant blooms have large, star-shaped, reflexed white petals and a small, yellow, red-edged cup with a green eye. The wildflower blooms are both eye-catching and delicate.
Lovely, snow-white, fragrant, award-winning Triandrus Narcissus ‘Thalia’ is a gracious, natural beauty that has been a perennial favorite since its introduction in 1916. Thalia bears two to three, pendant, star-shaped flowers per stem, poised above slender, deep green foliage. Also known as the ‘Orchid Narcissus’, this demure heirloom has graceful, spreading, slightly recurved flower petals encircling a long, slightly ribbed, cup-shaped crown. Unlike most ‘white’ narcissi, Thalia opens white and remains white. As long-lived Thalia naturalizes and matures over the years, it may bear up to five flowering stems per bulb in mid-spring.
A fascinating and subtly beautiful flowering onion with a 5” umbrella-shaped inflorescence made up of pendant ¾” plum and green bells that comes spilling out of an elegant pointed white papery sheath atop a tall stem. The flowers are richly endowed with nectar and are eagerly visited by honeybees. After pollination, each individual flower stem slowly turns upright, until the whole cluster is erect. The long strappy blue-green leaves twist in a spiral, and are a garlicky edible treat, traditionally ground up with salt, dried, then sprinkled on tomatoes or salads.
Lebanon Squill is a small, easy-to-grow perennial bulb, 4-6” tall and loaded with starry, ice-blue flowers that bloom in early to mid-spring. It’s an excellent naturalizing species for sun and part shade. The ones in our Xeriscape Rock Garden elicited plenty of admiration this spring.
A wonderful Western US native wildflower bulb valued for its clusters of violet-blue, upward-facing flowers. ‘Queen Fabiola’ is lovely companion for relatively short perennials that bloom in May and June, like ‘Coral Canyon’ Twinspur or ‘Elfin Pink’ Beardtongue. It also makes a long lasting and graceful cut flower. The dark green foliage is slender and grass-like. ‘Queen Fabiola’ is easy to grow in full sun or morning sun and well-drained soil.
Tulip ‘Juan’ appears to be a hybrid between a Fosteriana and a Griegii tulip. The large blooms on 12-16” stems are bright royal orange with a glowing yellow base and exceptionally beautiful purple mottled and striped foliage, rivalling that of ‘Red Riding Hood’.
This very striking, newer variety crowns its strong, 14-16” stems with very large, bold red flowers with sunny, glowing yellow bases. Our source remarks that Oracle is fragrant, too! On sunny days, the flowers open fully, displaying their distinct and large yellow centers. 
With its sunny yellow heart and lilac pink petals, the 6”-8” ‘Lilac Wonder’ makes a great companion to mid-spring daffodils like ‘Hawera’, ‘Quail’ and silver leafed plants like Lamb’s Ears, Alyssum oxycarpum, Partridge Feather and Teucrium cossonii ‘Silver Form’.
A gorgeous, sturdy, low-growing (8”) naturalizing tulip, perfect for the rock garden, meadow or perennial border. ‘The First’ is very early, blooming in March or April. When closed, the red and white outer petals present a candy-cane striped effect. On sunny days, they open wide (~4″) and look like single waterlilies, revealing an ivory white interior with a bright yellow center and, sometimes, small coral-red markings.
This gorgeous native of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan is a terrific rock garden size tulip species. The pointed petals are gorgeous, brilliant scarlet- red inside and out, with black bases, and the flowers open wide to catch the sun. The narrow basal leaves have red edges and lay flat. Because they are from Central Asia, they are well adapted to our cold winters and dry, hot summers.
These adorable Species Tulips have reddish-pink petals with glowing, blue-eyed centers.
Norah has exquisite, pointed petals, glowing deep pink accented with coral and violet hues, and contrasting bluish black base. In addition to its bold coloring, this fragrant dwarf Species tulip blooms low to the ground and attracts spring pollinators.
Blooming toward the end of the tulip season, Brown Sugar is worth waiting for! Its large, cupped blossoms shade from rose to terracotta to copper, and are produced on top of strong, tall stems18-20” tall. Best of all, Brown Sugar is endowed with a wonderful, warm fragrance!
The full petals of this bright and stylish Amaryllis are a saturated red, overlaid with a white star and accented by stippled veining and a light green throat.
A gorgeous, bright red flower with wide petals. A perfect holiday decoration!