Flower Bulbs for Home Gardens

Spring

• Many traditional spring bulbs flower for only a few weeks. A longer-lasting, easy and prolific bulb is lily leek (Allium moly) which begins to bear its bright yellow flowers in spring and continues into summer. Lily leek grows in clumps 6 to 12 inches tall and wide, and is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 9. A pretty contrast to lily leek is Camassia eichtlinii ssp. suksdorfii ''Blue Danube,'' with its long spikes of violet spring flowers. Hardy in USDA zones 4 to 11, this bulb grows between 3 and 6 feet high and 1 to 3 feet wide.

Summer

• Bold, attractive flower bulbs stand out in summer home gardens. Sword lily (Acidanthera bicolor var. murielae) has fragrant, white, showy flowers with a deep-red center. Suitable for USDA zones 8 to 11, this plant grows 1 to 3 feet tall and wide. Lilium ''Star Gazer'' is a bulb for a cooler climate, hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. This reliable summer bulb bears purple-spotted, dark-edged, crimson flowers and grows 3 to 6 feet tall. Although it grows best in full sun, its roots should be in the shade.

Fall

• As home gardens start to mellow in fall, bulbs can continue to provide beautiful flower displays. Pineapple flower (Eucomis comosa) begins flowering in late summer, bearing pineapple-shaped, maroon-tinged, white flowers, crowned with green bracts. Growing 1 to 3 feet tall and wide, this bulb is hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11, but can be grown as an annual. Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) is another fall-flowering bulb. Suited to USDA zones 4 to 8, this bulb grows 6 to 9 inches tall and wide, and bears lavender-pink flowers. Both bulbs grow best in moist soil.

Winter

• While many home garden plants are dormant in winter, bulbs can continue to offer pretty flower displays. Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, giant snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii) can appear even through winter snow, bearing delicate, white flowers on nodding stems. Growing 4 inches tall and wide, this bulb tolerates part shade. Arriving a little later, bush lily (Veltheimia bracteata) is hardy in USDA zones 9 and 10. Bearing pinkish-purple, tubular flowers on 15- to 24-inch, reddish stems, this winter-flowering bulb grows 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and 1 to 1 1/5 feet wide, and prefers a partial shade site.