To create a display like this one, choose bulbs that flower at the same time to produce a dramatic show lasting a few weeks in mid-spring. Alternatively, in larger containers, you could opt for bulbs that flower in succession over some months, from early spring to early summer, dead-heading blooms as they fade. Check labels for flowering periods.
Timing tulips and daffodils
Different types of tulip and daffodil flower at different times; early daffodils can appear in late winter, while late tulips may still be in bloom at the beginning of summer. To help you synchronize flowering, choose from the following bulbs, which all bloom at about the same time in mid-spring and last for several weeks.
| Tulips | Daffodils |
| ‘Abu Hassan’ (mahogany) | ‘Geranium’ (white and orange) |
| Emperor series (various colors) | ‘Lemon Beauty’ (lemon and white) |
| ‘Monte Carlo’ (sulphur yellow) | ‘Lemon Drops’ (white; lemon cup) |
| ‘Prinses Irene’ (orange) | ‘Mount Hood’ (white) |
| ‘Abba’ (tomato red) | ‘Red Devon’ (yellow; red cup) |
| ‘Apricot Beauty’ (salmon rose) | ‘Salome’ (white; pink cup) |
| ‘Mistress’ (deep pink) | ‘St Patrick’s Day’ (lemon) |
| ‘Negrita’ (purple) | ‘Sweetness’ (golden yellow) |
| ‘Ruby Red’ (scarlet) | ‘Thalia’ (white) |