Sheryl DeVore, TribLocal reporter

With some planning and planting in fall, a gardener can create a palate of  bulbs with various colors and textures that grace the yard with blooms from late winter  through early  summer. 

At local shops and through mail order houses, gardeners can find tulips and daffodils with early, middle and late spring bloom times; daffodils with single and double blooms; alliums in purple, pink and white; and  even 4-inch tall irises, among many others, said Sharon Yiesla, horticulture educator for the University of Illinois Extension Lake County in Grayslake.

Gardeners need not fear designing spring bulb gardens either, said Shari Precht, consultant at Mariani Landscaping in Lake Bluff. “There are so many varieties to choose from. It’s just personal preference,” she said.

A true bulb—which includes tulips, alliums and daffodils – is a fleshy structure that stores the plant’s leaves, flowers and nutrients underground.  After a cold period underground, the stems and leaves unfurl, using nutrients from the bulb to produce flowers. Other types of underground storage structures include corms and tubers, swollen underground plant stems with roots. Crocuses grow from corms.

Gardeners who want blooms that appear even with snow still on the ground are likely familiar with snowdrops and crocuses. But Yiesla also suggests netted irises (Iris reticulata), another early bloomer.  From a distance they look like crocuses, but a closer look shows 4-inch tall “miniature” irises in purple, blue, white and yellow.

Another bulb worth trying is winter aconite. Sold as a bulb, it’s really a tuber that looks like a big raisin, Yiesla said. Soak the tubers in water overnight and then plant for a March bloom of bright yellow, butter-cup like flowers.

Tulips belong to the genus Tulipa. Some are native to different parts of the world. Others have been cultivated by horticulturists.  Gardeners can find tulips that bloom in early, middle or late April and that are dwarf-sized as well as tall.

Yiesla likes Tulipa polychroma, which has up to five blooms on 2- to 3-inch tall stems. It’s native to the Middle Eastern mountains and typically blooms in April in northern Illinois.

Whether tiny or tall, tulips do attract deer, Yiesla said. “But deer won’t touch daffodils because of their astringent taste.”

In fact, daffodils are the best choice for easy, carefree bulbs that return each year, she said.

 Some tulips only last a few years and then have to be replaced, but daffodils last a long time, Precht agreed. “Daffodils will naturalize in your garden and will produce each year.”

Daffodils begin blooming in April and continue in  May, although last spring in northern Illinois, blooms came two weeks earlier, Yiesla said.

Alliums, which are in the onion family, flowers in late spring, Yiesla said. Some are quite tall and can make a statement in the garden, she said.

Fritillarias are becoming popular too, because they supposedly keep away critters, Yiesla said. But some of them smell like skunk, she said, so you might want to keep the fritillarias away from your house. A popular variety is crown imperial, which Yiesla said blooms each year in her garden.

Read labels and ask questions about height and bloom time, before purchasing bulbs. Choose bulbs that are large, firm and spot-free. “Something that’s soft or has spots could have a fungal infection,” Yiesla said.

Gardeners can plant spring bulbs from mid-September through mid to late October, any time before the soil is frozen.  If purchased earlier, keep in a cool dry storage area.

Since most bulbs bloom before trees and shrubs have developed leaves in spring, the gardener can choose most any spot for planting and the bulbs should get enough sun to help them grow and bloom, Yiesla said. But she said evergreens can shade out bulbs as well as compete for space.

Well-drained soil works best. “A bulb that sits in a puddle can rot,” Yiesla said. Northern Illinois’ clay-like soil can create problems. Tilling the area or digging and adding mulch before planting can help.

Precht said labels on bulbs often indicate how many to plant per square foot.

For true bulbs, plant with the pointed end upward. Crocuses and other corms have small roots on the end – plant with the roots on the bottom.

Plant the bulb two to three times its length, Yiesla suggested. Count the inches of soil from the bottom of the bulb, not the top, she said. For example, the bottom of a 1-inch long bulb should be 2 to 3 inches beneath the soil.

“For a long time it’s been standard to plant bulbs with a bulb booster, which often contains phosphorous,” Yiesla said. “But communities are now banning the use of phosphorous,”  because it can pollute nearby streams and lakes. “You can get good bulbs without putting in the bulb booster.”

Precht however recommends adding a bulb booster and following the directions on the label.

Either way, gardeners should water the bulbs weekly until the soil is frozen, Yiesla said.

Once the bulbs bloom in spring, gardeners should leave them be until the leaves start to yellow. Cutting off the leaves when they are green deprives the bulbs of the energy needed  for next year’s blooms.

Precht offers a list of early, mid and late blooming tulips and daffodils that grow well in northern Illinois.

Tulips

Early – Two very nice doubles – white and fragrant – Mondial and Margarita – purple

Mid – Large orange flowers with lighter shades – Daydream

Late – Nice magenta – Don Quichotte

Daffodils

Early – Ice Follies – White flowers, large yellow cup, one of the best naturalizers

Mid –  Dutch Master – large yellow flowers

Late – White medal – pure white flowers, double white centers

Very late – Yellow cheerfulness – Yellow flowers, double bunch flowers