I have heirloom lilies planted around my mailbox. I like them because they are tiger lilies that my husband’s grandmother planted as a new bride when she first settled at the ranch, and now I have divisions planted at my house. However, tiger lilies bloom beautifully in the summer and do not give any color to the front yard during the spring.
Spring bulb border now blooming along the driveway. These are first year blooms so we'll expect more flowers next year.
When I bought two bulk bags of bulbs at a Fall Clearance sale I planted them down the driveway where they would provide temporary color before “mowing” season began and they were mowed to the ground. 50 daffodils and 50 bright red tulips were planted but I spared enough in reserve to plant a dozen or so sprinkled throughout the tiger lily patch.
Seasons of Color – Hide Fading Spring Bulbs With Perennial Foliage
As you can see the tiger lilies are still very small – fractions of the 3-4 feet they will soon reach. The daffodils and tulips are easily seen as bright and cheerful spots of color dotted throughout the foliage. Because I planted these bulbs during the Fall, any damage that may have been done to the tiger lily roots has been compensated for by now.
Tiger lily foliage surrounded by spring blooming bulbs.
As the tulips and daffodils stop blooming I’ll cut off the spent flower stalks to prevent any energy being directed towards seed production. Spring blooming bulbs should be left with leaves collecting energy to store for the winter ahead, which sometimes means unsightly dying foliage in the garden. By layering these spring bulbs with large, summer perennials like these tiger lilies, I will prevent that.
By the time the foliage begins to die, the tiger lilies will be tall enough to hide most of the dying bulb foliage. And soon they will be blooming brightly themselves, once again providing cheerful spots of color around the mailbox.
This spring blooming bulb experiment turned out really well and I’m now looking for low-maintenance fall blooming bulbs or plants that I can mix in with the tiger lilies. They will need to be hardy and aggressive enough to compete. Even if I don’t find anything suitable, the two seasons of blooms, and three seasons of foliage color, provides enough curb appeal in this low-maintenance, high-traffic area.
