Flower bulb mixes

Bulb collections: a planting scheme in a bag

Putting bulbs together is a craft in itself. Which colours go together, which variety will rise above the rest, and how do you stop everything flowering in the same week and then leaving a gap? Bulb collections take that guesswork away. Each one is made up of varieties that match in colour, height and flowering time, and often suit a particular spot in the garden too. You pick the collection that fits your garden or your taste, plant it, and let spring do the rest.

Here you'll find all our bulb collections and mixed bulbs in one place: collections for sun and for shade, for damp and for dry soil, colour themes in pink, blue or every colour at once, the classic Bulbs from Holland and an allium mix. Below we explain how to choose, when and how deep to plant, and how a bulb lasagne gives you a pot that keeps flowering for months.

Why choose mixed bulbs?

A good bulb mix is more than a random bag of bulbs. Think of it as a ready-made border in bulb form.

• Designed to work together: colours and heights have already been chosen, so the result looks considered rather than random.
• Chosen by position: there are collections for sun, shade, damp and dry soil, so every bulb ends up where it is happy.
• A longer show: many mixes combine early and later varieties, so the same patch stays colourful for weeks.
• A natural look: mixed planting gives a relaxed, varied effect, even across a large area.
• Something new: you'll get to know varieties you might never have picked yourself.

In short, bulb bundles with a design behind them: everything you need for one good-looking scheme, in one go.

What bulbs to plant together?

Even when you buy a ready-made collection, it helps to know why certain bulbs work so well side by side. Three things make the difference.

Match by flowering time

For the longest display, combine early, mid-season and late varieties. Crocuses and snowdrops open the season in February, daffodils and grape hyacinths follow in March and April, tulips take over in April and May, and alliums carry on into July. A spring bulb collection built like that gives you one long relay of flowers. Other mixes are designed to open all at once, for a single burst of colour at the height of spring.

Match by height

Put short varieties at the front and tall ones at the back, or let them grow through each other. Small bulbs such as crocus and muscari make a carpet beneath taller tulips and daffodils, and that carpet also hides the fading leaves of earlier flowers.

Match by colour

Shades from the same family feel calm, think pink with white or blue with purple. For more energy, go for contrast: yellow with purple, or orange with blue. Pastel tulips always look soft and romantic, a multicoloured mix feels cheerful. Our tulip bulbs also include single-variety mixes such as the Pastel mix, the Blueberry mix and the Prince mix.

When to plant bulb collections

Most collections are made up of spring bulbs, which you plant in autumn, from September until December, as long as the ground isn't frozen. They need a spell of winter cold to flower in spring. An allium mix also goes in during autumn, even though it doesn't flower until May to July.

Autumn or spring planting?

Plant a mix with tulips from October onwards, once the soil has cooled. A mix of mainly crocuses, daffodils or muscari can go in from September. Bulbs you plant in spring, such as ranunculus, freesias and De Caen anemones, are in our summer flowering bulbs.

How deep should you plant a mix?

If your mix contains both large and small bulbs, sort them by size first. The rule of thumb still applies: plant each bulb two to three times as deep as it is tall, pointed end up. Tulips and alliums go about 12 to 15 cm deep, daffodils around 15 cm, crocuses and muscari 5 to 8 cm. Choose free-draining soil, because bulbs rot in wet ground.

How to plant a bulb lasagne

Lasagne bulb planting means layering different bulbs on top of each other in one pot or planting hole. Each layer flowers in its own time, so there is something new to see from February to May. A bulb mix with large and small varieties is ideal for this.

• Drainage: use a pot with a hole in the base and add a layer of grit or crocks at the bottom.
• Bottom layer: place the largest and latest bulbs, such as tulips or alliums, about 20 cm deep and cover them with compost.
• Middle layer: add daffodils or hyacinths on top, then another layer of compost.
• Top layer: finish with crocuses, muscari or scilla, about 5 cm below the surface.
• Finishing off: top up with compost, water once and stand the pot somewhere sheltered outdoors.

The bulbs can sit close together as long as they don't quite touch. The fuller the layers, the richer the pot will look.

Which bulb collection suits your garden?

The most important question is where the bulbs are going. Choose by position first, then by colour.

Collections for sun

For an open, sunny spot, pick a collection of varieties that love warmth, such as tulips and alliums. They'll reward you with strong stems and big flowers.

Collections for shade

Under trees and shrubs, the best bulbs are those that do most of their growing before the canopy closes. Think bluebells, Anemone blanda and snowdrops. A shade mix brings light into dark corners.

Collections for damp or dry soil

If your garden tends to stay wet, choose a mix of varieties that don't mind damp feet, such as camassia and snake's head fritillary. For dry, sandy gardens there are mixes of sturdy varieties that cope well with a dry summer.

Colour themes, Bulbs from Holland and alliums

Prefer to choose by colour? There are mixes in pink, in blue and in every colour of the rainbow. Bulbs from Holland is a classic Dutch combination of well-known spring flowers. The allium mix brings together several ornamental onions that follow on from May to July, full of nectar for bees and butterflies. For a pollinator-friendly bulb mix, look for crocus, muscari and allium: they offer pollen and nectar when little else is in flower.

Mixed bulbs in borders, lawns and pots

Every spot needs a slightly different approach. Here's how to get the best from your mix.

• In borders: scatter a handful of bulbs and plant them where they land. You'll get a natural drift instead of neat rows. Allow 50 to 70 bulbs per square metre for mixes with tulips or daffodils.
• In lawns: choose a mix of small bulbs and allow 50 to 100 per square metre. Mixes with crocus bulbs and other naturalising bulbs come back every year and spread. Wait to mow until the leaves have turned yellow.
• In pots: shorter bulb collections and bulb lasagnes look lovely in outdoor pots and planters on the patio or by the front door. Leave the pot outside over winter in a sheltered spot.

Caring for mixed bulbs after flowering

Deadhead faded flowers so the bulb doesn't put energy into seed, but leave the foliage until it has turned yellow. During those weeks every bulb in the mix builds up reserves for next year. A little bulb fertiliser straight after flowering helps.

Not every variety in a mix behaves the same way. Daffodils, crocuses, alliums and naturalising bulbs come back year after year and often bulk up. Tulips flower best in their first year, so top up the mix each autumn if you want to keep the display full. In pots you can lift the bulbs after flowering and plant them out in the garden, leaving the pot free for a new collection.

Flower bulbs are not edible. Store them somewhere cool and dry until planting, out of reach of pets and small children. For every variety we sell, take a look at our full range of flower bulbs.

Order your bulb collection from Green Bubble

At Green Bubble you choose your bulb collection from a carefully selected range from a specialist bulb grower. For every mix you can see which varieties are inside, when they flower and how to plant them. Not sure which collection suits your garden? Our Personal Plantshopper is happy to help.

✔ Fresh from the grower
✔ Collections already matched for colour, height and position
✔ Personal advice from our Personal Plantshopper

Pick your collection, plant it this autumn and let spring surprise you.