The right bulbs: plant now for great summer color - Garden and Outdoor Living - related article: Which varieties to grow

Sunset, March, 2004 by Kathleen Norris Brenzel

Of all the flowers in my garden, a few are like old friends who go away for winter, then return all refreshed and exuberant when temperatures warm in late spring. They're the easygoing summer bulbs--callas, dahlias, gladiolus, and lilies (Asiatic and Oriental hybrids)--that come back in garden beds or containers year after year.

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Dahlias are the first to reappear (in late April or May), with spring-green foliage and jewel-bright flowers. Gladiolus come next (June or so), sending up spears of cheerful blooms. They're followed by Asiatic lilies, which unfurl star-shaped flowers, and by calla hybrids, whose blooms look like fluted cups. Oriental hybrids make a grand late entrance, in August; their large flowers perfume the whole garden.

Pop a few bulbs in a pot to display on a patio, or add them to a spot in the garden you can see from indoors. You'll enjoy their vivid colors and obliging natures.

RELATED ARTICLE: Which varieties to grow

All of the summer bulbs listed below and on page 64 come in a range of colors and sizes. You'll want to tuck clumps of them between perennials in beds and borders. Tall Oriental lilies and dahlias that reach 5 to 6 ft. make good backdrops for borders; shorter kinds (2 to 4 ft.) are good accents among small-flowered perennials or in containers. We've grown many kinds of summer bulbs over the years. In this chart, we highlight our hands-down favorites for unique coloring and sheer flower power.