The Other Spring Flowering Bulbs

Another spring favorite of mine is the glory-in-the-snow. These cheery little fellows bloom in April and are hardy to zone 4. Similar to bluebells, but with the blooms facing upward, glory-in-the-snow makes a great rock garden plant. They flower abundantly in shades of blue, pink, and white. A lovely favorite is "Pink Giant".

Another early bloomer is the dog-toothed violet. Hardy to zone 3 and bearing no resemblance to a violet, this woodland member of the lily family looks more like a cyclamen. It sports purply-pink blooms in late April, early May, borne on stalks above whorls of green leaves mottled in brown and purple. For consistent seasonal rebloom don't allow the dog-toothed violet to dry out during the summer.

Some of most unusual and even downright bizarre spring bloomers are alliums, or flowering onions. Members of the lily family, alliums are weird, wonderful, and best of all deer and rodents avoid them. Hardiness varies, depending on variety, from zone 5 to zone 3. Unlike other spring flowering bulbs, alliums prefer very well drained, even sandy soil, and since most bloom in June really do need a sunny exposure. Allium cerulean (zone 3) is one of the few true blue flowers you'll find. Purple Sensation (zone 4) bears huge reddish purple airy balls on 20-30" stems. One of the more quirky alliums is "Hair" (zone 5), though who'd want hair like this? The bloom resembles a balding concert maestro crossed with the wicked witch of the west. Green and witchy, this "Hair" is certainly a conversation piece. Allium triquetrum, (zone 4) the three-cornered leek, is more like a white bluebell than the globe-shape one expects of an allium. It just proves that miscellany is the nature of these garlic cousins.

Try mixing any or all of these other spring bulbs in with the traditional crocus, tulips, and daffodils. The results will be spectacular. They give form, color, and variety to an otherwise standard spring garden.

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