Flower bulbs are often discusses in two groups, Spring and Summer flowering, for convenience, regardless of the type of bulb / corm / rhizome.
Spring bulbs are mainly planted in Autumn, and Summer bulbs during the growing season from mid-Spring.
Spring-Blooming Bulbs:
- Always Winter hardy.
- Planted in Autumn to bloom the following Spring (unless planted ‘in the green’ in Spring)
- Maintenance: None, unless old clumps need division. Most will bloom annually, some for many years.
- Examples: Allium, Anemone, Bluebell, Daffodil, Hyacinth, Snowdrop, Lily, Tulip
Summer-Blooming Bulbs:
- May need protection in Winter.
- Planted in Spring to bloom that Summer
- Maintenance: Can be treated as annuals or dug up and stored in a frost-free area over winter for replanting the following spring. Many varieties survive Winter under mulch.
- Examples: Dahlia, Canna, Gladiola, tuberous Begonias.