3 Fun Designer Bulb Combinations for Your Garden

As the temperatures rise, the sun shines a little stronger, and the leaves reappear on trees, we have one main thing on our mind: planting our summer-blooming bulbs!

Planted in the springtime, summer-blooming bulbs look beautiful on their own, but the right combinations can have an even more powerful impact. To take the guesswork out of what grows well—and what looks good—together, we made a list of three spring-planted bulb combinations to add to your garden this year.

What Should You Plant With Bulbs? 

Choosing plants with complementary colors does matter, but it’s not necessarily the most important thing—it’s pretty difficult to find color combinations for flowers that don’t look good together! What does matter when creating bulb combinations is choosing plants that need similar growing conditions, like sun and soil requirements. 

Before you decide on what mix of plants to grow, figure out where you will grow them; in containers or in the ground? In a sunny spot or in the shade? 

Thankfully, there’s a bulb for just about every condition, so as long as you know what you have to work with, you won’t have trouble filling in the spot with bulbs!

You can also consider growing heights and textures of the plants—for example, low-growing plants can cover the stems of taller plants behind them. (We call these “shoes and socks” plants!) Other than that, keep in mind any overall looks you want in your garden. Perhaps you want to create a tropical paradise, serene meadow, rustic woodland, or whatever else your creative mind comes up with!

Three Fun Bulb Combinations

Create a beautiful mixed bulb garden with these combinations. We selected summer-blooming varieties that we carry, and you’re welcome to look through our catalogue to choose ones that best match your needs!

Polianthes Tuberosa Single Mexican, Dahlia Vancouver, and Crocosmia Tobias: This is a vibrant and cheerful mix of bulbs that looks great in a sunny border, plus these flowers look amazing in cut arrangements. Polianthes Tuberosa, commonly known as Tuberose, will add a spicy, floral smell to your yard. To keep Dahlias going and going in your garden, regularly cut or pick off spent blossoms. Crocosmia, commonly known as Sword Lily, is a favorite among pollinators, plus they are pest resistant — truly a gardener’s dream!

Caladium Summer Breeze and Canna Australia: Pair these two bulbs together for a bold, lush, and layered look. We love how these two look in a large container with Canna in the middle and Caladium, also known as Angel Wings or Elephant Ears, surrounding it. If you’re planting them in a garden bed, you can still get the same layered, tropical look by planting Caladium in front of Canna. Choose a sunny spot for this combination of plants. Both come in various color combinations, so make sure when selecting a Caladium variety that it grows well in full sun, which Canna needs in order to thrive.

Convallaria Majalis and Athyrium Ghost: For a full-of-foliage look, opt for these two shade-loving plants. Convallaria, commonly known as Lily of the Valley, has delicate bell-shaped flowers that have a strong, floral fragrance. Athyrium Ghost, which is a cross between Japanese Painted Fern or Lady Fern, is a classic shade plant that’s even deer and rabbit resistant. Though not grown from a bulb, the fern’s feathery fronds provide a lush backdrop to shade-loving bulbs, like Lily of the Valley.

Mixing and matching bulbs is a highlight of our time in our garden, and we hope it will be for you too! We have dozens of summer-blooming bulbs for sale to help you get one step closer to finding that winning combination.