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 many wonderful varieties, and in 2021 featured 80 different varieties! (Individual descriptions and images, below.) 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 inspirations 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.
It’s been a rough year over in Holland, where the business of flowers and bulbs is a huge component of the economy. Unprecedented heat followed by heavy rains and flooding, combined with labor shortages due to COVID, made the bulb harvest and export very difficult.
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.
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.
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.
NEW 2019!
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.
Description coming soon!
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.
This wild “snow” crocus bears sweetly fragrant, bright golden yellow goblet-formed flowers with striking deep purple stripes on the outer petals. The blooms appear in February/March. Fuscotinctus grows well in gritty, poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil, dry to moderately moist. Perfect for naturalizing in any sunny or partly sunny location or lawn, and are also charming in pots. 3-4″ tall. Plant 4″ deep. Hardy to Zone 3.
A cheerful mix of many colors and forms of super-early ‘snow crocus’!
Description coming soon!
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.
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.
The superb blue Autumn Crocus, blooms in early to mid-autumn, arriving to brighten the garden at a time when many other plants have finished blooming. Autumn Crocus has large, sky-blue to purple flowers with golden-orange stigmas and anthers. They stand 4” 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.
Description coming soon!
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.
Complementary in height and blooming in unison, early-spring blooming ‘Fraternal Twins’ are two siblings of Reticulata Iris, one clothed in rich royal purple and one in violet, with intricate-patterned petals marked with white signals slashed with a yellow stripe, obviously from the same family. Small in stature (8”) and sweetly fragrant; they are perfect for rock gardens, border fronts and sidewalks, and form large, floriferous clumps.
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.
A classic old variety from 1938, purple with reddish purple falls; one of the latest to bloom. J.S. Dyt is very small, fragrant, and perfect for rock gardens, deciduous woodlands, fronts of borders or rock gardens. Performs well in all typed of soil as long as it is well-drained. Blooms late winter to early spring. Grows 4″-8″ tall. Hardy to Zone 3.
Description coming soon!
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 ‘Central Station’ is a sturdy ‘Large-Cupped’ daffodil with pristine white petals and a yellow cup. Because of its strong stems and reliability this variety is very suitable for Colorado. The huge blooms are long-lasting in the garden and in bouquets.
A terrific naturalizer with a cup almost long enough to qualify as a Trumpet Daffodil, Fortissimo is an impressive, 5″ amber-yellow beauty with a funnel-shaped, slightly frilled, glowing red-orange cup, blooming in mid-spring on strong 18″ to 20″ stem. The enormous blooms are fragrant, and the bulbs and plants are resistant to deer, rabbits and other rodents.
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.
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.
Description coming soon!
This pairing of miniature (8” tall) and large-cupped (14-18” tall) daffodils are ideally suited to plant together in the landscape, garden, in pots, or within borders. Their bloom-times and colors match perfectly, and take the guess-work out of your planting design.
Description coming soon!
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 superb mix of the extremely floriferous sibling varieties: Moonlight (lemon and white), Starlight (white), and Sunlight (yellow) Sensation. Animal resistant and drought tolerant varieties with a lovely sweet fragrance. Up to 4 stems per bulb and 6 star-shaped, pendant 2.5” flowers per stem.
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.
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’.
Description coming soon!
Greigii tulips are famous for their showy foliage, which is often dramatically mottled and streaked with deep purple or maroon markings, and their large, colorful blooms. Their short stature makes them perfect for the rock garden, front of the border, or forcing. The very popular ‘Red Riding Hood’ bears large, long-lasting vivid scarlet flowers with striking black bases in April-May. Blooms just after the Kaufmanniana tulips. This variety has perennialized well in our Xeriscape Rock Garden. Hardy to Zone 3, 8” – 10” tall. Plant 6
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.
Description coming soon!
These adorable Species Tulips have reddish-pink petals with glowing, blue-eyed centers.
A striking and elegant new variety, Muvota (syn. ‘Slawa’) blooms have maroon-red petals with broad dusky rose-gold edges that feather into the maroon. The rich color contrast draws you to it from afar. Triumph tulips perennialize well in the garden if left uncut and fertilized after blooming. They also make fabulous cut-flowers and can be forced in pots. 16–18″ tall.
Description coming soon!
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!
Tulip ‘Pretty Princess’ is a strain of the Tulip Princess Irene, one of the oldest and most popular tulip varieties ever grown and cultivated in the Netherlannds. From this legacy, ‘Pretty Princess’ inherited a beautiful fragrance. Tulip ‘Pretty Princess’ has a soft pink color combined with darker pink flames. The foliage has a pure white edging.
Photo and description coming soon!
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: