Best Flower Bulbs For Shade & Dry Or Wet Soil

Soil Drainage Requirements for Bulbs

Most flower bulbs need good drainage, and will thrive in any normal garden flower bed.

• If your soil is wet and boggy, grow Snowdrops.
• Rockery bulbs are best for all poorly fertile soils that get dry in summer.
• Dahlias are hungry and like rich soil. Unlike the Spring bulbs, these Summer stars might need watering in the growing season.

Sunlight Requirements for Bulbs

Most people want their bulbs to be as perennial as possible, to come back well and flower year after year. To have the energy to do that, most bulbs like a nice sunny location.

Too much shade will cause most bulbs to produce leaves but few flowers in subsequent years.

Spring flowering bulb varieties produce all their leaves emerge before deciduous trees & shrubs, so they take advantage of sunlight reaching the soil in places that will be shaded all summer.

Best Bulbs for Shade

Cyclamens are among the most shade-tolerant, and will grow under evergreen trees.
Bluebells are classics for dappled shade under deciduous trees; Daffodils, Aconites and Snowdrop also do well.

Summary: Where to Grow Flower Bulbs

Full Sun, Well-Drained Soil:

• Dahlia

Full Sun to Partial Shade, Well-Drained Soil:

• Allium
• Anemone
• Camassia
• Crocus
• Fritillaria
• Hyacinth
• Iris
• Muscari
• Snowflake
• Squill
• Tulip

Partial Shade, Moist or Damp Soil:

• Aconite
• Bluebell
• Daffodil
• Snowdrop

Partial to Full Shade, Well-Drained Soil:

• Cyclamen