Our Favorite Bulb Companions

Fall bulbs are the best investment you can make in your garden for colorful beds next spring. You don’t need to dig a huge hole to plant them, many varieties will naturalize and come back to put on an impressive show of flowers each year.

Try some of our favorite spring-blooming bulbs, and mix with companion plants that will make your bulbs stand out. 

Iris

The iris is a rhizome that gives way to a clump of blue-green narrow foliage about two feet high and wide. Irises come in many shapes and sizes, and naturalize well in our climate, gradually spreading each year. Every few years they need to be divided to flower vigorously year after year. 

Colorful Companion Plants: Ornamental Grasses, California Poppies, Yellow Violas.

Read on: Pass the Rhizomes Please…It’s fun to Share Bearded Iris

Tulip

The tulip is a classic bulb which forms a narrow clump of blue-green foliage topped with cheerful cup-like flowers in the spring. Tulips require six to eight weeks of refrigeration before planting. The refrigeration simulates the winter dormancy that they would endure in their native climate. Tulips do not naturalize here, and are treated as an annual. For impactful results, plant them in groups of 12 or more. 

Colorful Companion Plants: Shasta Daisies, Forget-Me-Nots, Wallflower.

Daffodil

The bright green strap-like foliage of this fall bulb is usually the first to pop up in the spring. Daffodils bear bright daisy-like flowers with a single cylindrical petal in the center called a corona. They can be white, yellow, peach, cream or many combinations thereof. Daffodils are one of the most reliable bulbs to grow in the Sacramento Area. They will naturalize easily in your garden, putting on a more impressive display every year. 

Colorful Companion Plants: Delphinium, Ornamental Kale, Grape Hyacinth.

Bulb Planting Tip: Our bulbs are sourced from VanBloem Gardens and come in packaging that takes the guess work out of planting; follow the simple instructions to know just how deep to plant, and the best distance and positioning.