Best bulbs to plant this fall: our top five picks for brilliant spring color

Sunset, Oct, 2006

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          What they're like   Our favorites         How to display
          ...

SPECIES   Slender and         Blossoms of Tulipa    For a big show
TULIP     lovely, Lady, or    clusiana chrysantha   next spring, plant
          Candy, tulips are   (at left) are rose    three dozen bulbs
          pale yellow or      carmine on the        2 inches deep in a
          white inside, red   outside and bright    shallow,
          to magenta          yellow inside. Or     15-inch-wide
          outside; they grow  for yellow            terra-cotta
          6 to 9 inches       star-shaped flowers   container. These
          tall.               with white tips, try  tulips grow
                              T. tarda.             anywhere and
                                                    usually come back
                                                    year after year
                                                    even in
                                                    mild-winter
                                                    climates.

DARWIN    Darwin hybrids are  With 2-foot stems,    All three
HYBRID    the tallest,        'Pink Impression'     varieties are
          largest-flowered    makes the best pink.  pretty in beds
          tulips. The         For a flame-colored   with blue
          cup-shaped blooms   Darwin hybrid, try    forget-me-nots, or
          hold well in a      'Beauty of            massed in
          vase, making them   Apeldoorn' (at        containers. They
          ideal for cutting.  left). 'Daydream'     tend to
          Most are in the     opens yellow and      perennialize
          scarlet-orange to   matures to orange.    better than most
          red range, but                            tulips if they get
          pink, yellow, and                         enough winter
          white varieties                           chill (six weeks
          are also                                  under
          available.                                45[degrees]). In
                                                    mild-winter areas,
                                                    chill bulbs in the
                                                    refrigerator for
                                                    six weeks before
                                                    planting.

PARROT    Like parrots,       'Blue Parrot' (at     Plant bulbs
TULIP     these tulips come   left) has mauve-blue  shoulder to
          in brilliant hues   flowers on 18-inch    shoulder in a 16-
          (some are striped   stems. 'Estella       or
          and flamed in       Rijnveld' is even     18-inch-diameter
          various colors);    more flamboyant,      pot, or in drifts
          petals have         with red-and-white    behind white or
          ruffled or          flowers on 20-inch    purple violas.
          feathery edges.     stems. For red        Before planting in
          Big flowers are     splashed with green,  mild-winter
          easily animated in  try the 20-inch-tall  climates, chill
          the wind.           'Rococo'.             the bulbs for six
                                                    weeks. *

APRICOT   Naturally yellow    'Apricot Lace' (at    Pretty when massed
DAFFODIL  or white,           left) has a divided,  in pots or
          daffodils           apricot-colored       combined with
          sometimes come      corona framed         violas in antique
          with a salmon,      against a white       shades of apricot
          apricot, or coral   perianth (outer       and blue.
          corona (the cup in  petals) on 14-inch    Daffodils grow and
          the center of the   stems. For a salmon   perennialize
          flower). They       trumpet against       anyplace there's
          stand up to cold    yellow outer petals,  even modest winter
          and are easy to     try the 18-inch       chill.
          grow.               'Lorikeet'.

DUTCH     Growing 2 feet      For blue, try         Mass irises among
IRIS      tall from           'Professor Blaauw';   low ornamental
          rush-like foliage,  for magenta purple,   grasses for a
          Dutch irises are    'Purple Sensation'    meadow effect. Or
          marked by clear,    (at left); for        mix them in pots
          intense colors      yellow, 'Royal        with yellow
          such as deep blue,  Yellow'.              violas. They grow
          purple, and                               in all but the
          orange, usually                           coldest parts of
          with a yellow                             the West and
          blotch on the                             naturalize even in
          falls (the petals                         mild climates.
          that drape off the
          sides of each
          flower).

* GO ONLINE FOR SOURCES AND CHILLING TIPS: www.sunset.com/bulbs