Annuals suggestions please.

I mentioned a while back that I'd planted 1,000 tulip bulbs in a client's garden. We plan to lift them when finished and I'd like to plant annuals for a blast of colour throughout the summer. I'd like to keept the pallete as red/pink and white with a touch of blue - no yellow.
There are four beds in a square, each six by three metres and each divided into four by box balls. Any suggestions?

 

I reckon the nemphola menziessi is very pretty, as are dieramas and of course cornflowers

 

Boghopper, do you mean hardy or half hardy annuals or doesn't it matter?
In other words do you want to put in plants bought in eg marigolds, ageratum impatiens or direct seed sown eg Californian Poppies, Candytuft, Matthiola (night scented stocks).

 

Thanks Claire, they sound good. No it doesn't matter Stronglodon. I just need to fill the beds with colour and may include some perennials, i.e. Hemerocallis, Hesperis matronalis, Leucanthemum, Monarda etc, to give some ongoing structure.
I may also have to grow some seeds on before planting as well as put bedding in, because, bearing in mind it's quite a large total area, unless I'm careful it could become expensive and time-consuming.

 

Why would you lift them????? I leave all mine. Tulips are planted deeper than annuals.

 

Good question Redstar. :thmb: It was always the intention to lift them as they were densely planted. This means that there is limited space between them for planting other things. Also, the accepted wisdom is that tulips never seem to flower so well after the first year if left in the gorund. However, I would would be delighted if I didn't have to lift all 1,000 of them!:yho:

 

Is this actually true though? I'd be happy to lift mine after flowering - it would save me forgetting where they're planted and digging into them by accident later in the year!

 

It is unfortunately true, but such high standards are for the show gardens and not really for domestic gardens, I took all mine out last year and replaced them but they were very old-there when I moved in. Some eluded me and the stalks are coming through very strongly-unfortunately right in the middle of another prospective peony bed so they have to go-although I`ll enjoy them before I dig it all over.

 

And we can't be having with that now, can we?:gnthb:

 

As you all know, I have 20,000++ bulbs on my property. While not many are tulips because they come up later when the shade trees are almost full. The "tulip" type bulbs I do have are the very early ones that are shorter but just as colorful with interesting leaves, some strip some curved. And those do come up each year. Two years ago I thinned out an area of them, bulbs doubled, back in the same area only wider and no issue with the come back. Its a shame Bog to have to do all that work. Claire, try looking for the tulips that bloom earlier.

 

No Aaron, we most certainly can not-at least not until the peonies are in and happy.