Spring-Planted Bulbs: First Year Flowers For New Perennial Beds

• Gladiolus acidanthera (Peacock Orchid) - white fragrant flowers
• Gladiolus hybrids 'Parrot Mix', 'Rainbow Mix','Purple Flora', 'Mardi Gras Mix', 'Peter Pears' - fabulous cut flowers in designer color mixes. 'Purple Flora' has to be seen to be believed!
• Sandersonia aurantiaca (Chinese Lantern Lily) - whimsical, yellow hanging bells
• Sprekelia formosissima (Aztec Lilies) - a heat loving bulb with exotic deep red flowers
• Tigrida pavonia 'Red' (Red Mexican Shell Flower) - big, cheerful red spotted flowers
• Tigridia Mix (Mexican Shell Flower) - a showy mix of bright colors; like planting a flower party
• Triteleia Mix (Star Flowers) - nice deer and rabbit resistant native bulbs in shades of blue and white. (Modestly cold hardy so may overwinter in USDA zone 7.)

Dahlias are also a great choice to interplant into new pre-planned gardens. These tuberous bulbs are cold hardy to USDA zones 8-10. Dahlia tubers are often grown for several years by digging them from their beds in the fall. Store them in sphagnum peat moss in a cool spot over the winter to re-plant into pots or different parts of your garden for that second growing season.

The varieties listed below are compact growers and generally under 3 ft. in height so not to crowd out your young perennials, while providing ample cut flowers for your table and nectar for hummingbirds and other pollinators.

• Dahlia 'Sunshine' - compact grower with bi-color yellow and red flowers.
• Dahlia 'Fire Pot' - semi-double flowers with each flower in shades of pink, orange and yellow.
• Dahlia 'Blue Boy' - stunning lilac-blue flowers
• Dahlia 'Tahiti Sunrise' - cactus type flowers with quill-like yellow red and purple petals
• Dahlia 'Cactus Mix' - quill-like petals and a striking mix of brilliant colors

Compact Dahlia varieties with dark foliage

• Dahlia 'Dracula' - purple red flowers over burgundy flowers
• Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff' - dark burgundy foliage and orange flowers
• Dahlia 'Dragon Ball' - gorgeous, very dark burgundy foliage and red-orange flowers