Bulbs

Everything you need to grow and care for bulbs: light, water, troubleshooting, and pet & child safety, all in one place.

AmaryllisHippeastrum hybridumSet the bulb in a pot, offer warmth and water, and within weeks a bare nub turns into a tall column of trumpet blooms.☀️ Bright indirect · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicEasyAsiatic LilyLiliumSet the bulbs once and Asiatic lilies return the first big blooms of summer to your garden, season after season.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysToxicEasyAutumn CrocusColchicum autumnaleBare lilac-pink blooms appear out of nowhere in fall, yet every part conceals deadly colchicine.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysToxicEasyBearded IrisIris germanicaPlant the rhizome shallow in full sun, keep it lean and dry, and the bearded iris brings its annual spring show to the border for years.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyCaladiumCaladium bicolorTropical leaf drama for the shaded, lived-in corners of a home.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 2–4 daysMildly toxicModerateCalla LilyZantedeschia aethiopicaSet it in rich, moist ground and good light, and the calla brings tall, sculptural blooms to a space.☀️ Full sun · 💧 2–4 daysMildly toxicModerateCanna LilyCanna × generalisGive it full sun, rich moist soil, and summer heat, and the canna throws bold leaves and flame-bright flowers until frost.☀️ Full sun · 💧 2–5 daysPet & child safeEasyCommon CamasCamassia quamashBlue spring spikes that turn a damp corner into a meadow scene.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeEasyCommon SnowdropGalanthus nivalisSet the bulbs in autumn and let snowdrops open through the last of the winter snow, the garden's first quiet flourish of the year.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyCrinum LilyCrinum × powelliiA single planting that returns each season, the crinum lily lifts fragrant pink trumpets over the late-summer garden for years.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyCrown ImperialFritillaria imperialisA regal spring bulb, its nodding bells crowning a proudly skunky scent that sends voles packing.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicModerateDaffodilNarcissus pseudonarcissusSet the bulbs in fall and they return with the first real color of spring, year after year.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysToxicEasyDahliaDahlia × hybridaWith full sun, rich soil, and steady water, the dahlia carries a border in style from midsummer to frost.☀️ Full sun · 💧 2–4 daysMildly toxicModerateDutch IrisIris × hollandicaPlant the bulbs in fall and Dutch iris brings the garden tall, sleek blooms by spring.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysMildly toxicEasyElephant EarColocasia esculentaSet it in rich, ever-moist soil and full sun, and elephant ear gives a space the instant drama of the tropics all season.☀️ Full sunToxicEasyEnglish BluebellHyacinthoides non-scriptaPlant the bulbs in fall and let them carpet the shade in violet-blue every spring.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 5–10 daysToxicEasyFlorist's CyclamenCyclamen persicumKeep it cool, bright, and watered from below, and cyclamen carries a room's color all winter.☀️ Bright indirect · 💧 5–10 daysToxicModerateFreesiaFreesia refractaArching sprays of intensely fragrant winter blooms, the quiet drama a cool room has been waiting for.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeModerateGarden GladiolusGladiolus × hortulanusPlant the corms in spring and gladiolus answers with tall spires of color from late summer to fall.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysMildly toxicEasyGiant Ornamental OnionAllium giganteumPlant the bulbs in autumn, and by early summer giant allium lifts lilac orbs that hang weightless over the border.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–10 daysToxicEasyGlory-of-the-snowChionodoxa forbesiiAmong the first bulbs to bloom, glory-of-the-snow lays down a carpet of blue before winter has quite let go.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicEasyGrape HyacinthMuscari armeniacumSet the little bulbs out in fall, and spring answers with rivers of blue.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysPet & child safeEasyHyacinthHyacinthus orientalisPlant the bulbs in fall, and spring arrives indoors on a wave of dense, sweet-scented spikes.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicEasyJapanese IrisIris ensataGive it acidic soil, full sun, and summer water to spare, and Japanese iris crowns a waterside setting with broad, butterfly-flat blooms.☀️ Full sun · 💧 1–3 daysMildly toxicModerateLily of the ValleyConvallaria majalisNodding white bells that dress a shaded corner in scent, though every part of them is poisonous.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 5–10 daysToxicEasyMontbretiaCrocosmia × crocosmiifloraOne spring planting buys a whole season of arching, fiery summer color that turns a quiet border into a stage.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysPet & child safeEasyNerineNerine bowdeniiLeft crowded and undisturbed in full sun, nerines bring a note of pink to the fall border.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysMildly toxicModerateOriental LilyLiliumTall, richly scented summer blooms that perfume a whole garden, with one firm rule for the home: keep them away from cats.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysToxicModeratePersian ButtercupRanunculus asiaticusSet the little claws into cool spring soil and ranunculus arrives like a florist's dream in the garden bed.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicModeratePoppy AnemoneAnemone coronariaSoak the corms, give them sun and sharp drainage, and let poppy anemones bring spring color into the home.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–7 daysMildly toxicModerateRed Spider LilyLycoris radiataPlant the bulbs with the neck above the soil, and early fall arrives on bare scapes crowned in fiery red.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicModerateReticulated IrisIris reticulataSet the little bulbs in fall and greet spring with icy blues and golds while winter still lingers.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasySiberian IrisIris sibiricaAll poise and cool composure, Siberian iris lends a damp border grassy verticals and a wash of late-spring color.☀️ Full sun · 💧 3–7 daysMildly toxicEasySiberian SquillScilla sibericaPlant the bulbs once and a blue haze of early spring settles over the garden, year after year.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysToxicEasySpring CrocusCrocus vernusSet the corms in autumn and the spring crocus delivers the season's first color, often rising straight through the snow.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyStar of BethlehemOrnithogalum umbellatumA quiet spring bulb whose white star flowers open at midday, lending an easy, meadow-soft note to the garden.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysToxicEasySurprise LilyLycoris squamigeraSet it in the ground and step away, then let bare pink stalks make a late-summer entrance in the border.☀️ Full sun · 💧 7–14 daysMildly toxicEasyTuberosePolianthes tuberosaGive it full sun and free-draining soil, and tuberose turns a late-summer evening into an occasion with its famous scent.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysPet & child safeModerateTuberous BegoniaBegonia × tuberhybridaOffer it shade, even moisture, and good airflow, and the tuberous begonia rewards a summer room with its largest blooms.☀️ Partial shade · 💧 2–4 daysMildly toxicModerateTulipTulipa spp.Set in the ground each fall and carried through a long cold winter, tulips open as the spring garden's first grand gesture of color.☀️ Full sunToxicEasyWinter AconiteEranthis hyemalisLong before the border stirs, winter aconite lays down a ribbon of gold across the bare ground, setting the tone for the year ahead.☀️ Full sun · 💧 5–10 daysToxicEasy