Combination Planting of Winter / Early Spring Bulbs

I've been planting Aconites and Snowdrops. I have some Bluebells coming up (and some Daffs too, in the woodland area, although mostly they are in full sun). It got me to wondering whether I should have dedicated areas for specific types, or mix them?

I had planted (2 or 3 years ago) just snowdrops down one side of the woodland path. This photo doesn't really show off the impact that they make when you are stood there, but hopefully gives you an idea:



I decided it would look better if the right side had snowdrops too, so have planted more there. The left side looks a bit narrow in the picture, but doesn't actually feel like that, but in time I will plant deeper on the left, under all the trees. The Daffs on the far right seem OK - they come much later, so their foliage doesn't diminish the snowdrop display during their flowering period.

But should I have intermingled Aconites? or are the snowdrops better as a walk on their own? (I think they look nice on their own ... but I've got nothing here to compare with )

I have planted a separate area of Aconites, on a different path route. But I now wonder if they will look "strange" on their own. For me the White of snowdrops is the winter flower colour. Yellow comes with Spring (that's the way if feels anyway, and thus perhaps the "look" that I want to create).

Also: what about Single and Double snowdrops? Or even Poncy ones? I do have some with the strapping leaves that flower a lot earlier - probably G. elwesii - but when I look down the woodland path all I see is nodding heads of clumps, I couldn't tell you which areas [my Singles and Doubles are planted in discrete areas, rather than just inter-mixed] are doubles or singles, let alone anything else, so short of stooping down to pick one I'm not sure I'd know a "special" in and amongst the others. I wonder if my best advice to someone designing a woodland garden would be to just plant the whole thing with singles, and "bank" the savings - Doubles are almost twice the price of Singles. Presumably that is also an indicator of how quickly they bulk up? So I would get more to split from singles and could therefore increase my planting area, sooner, if I concentrated on singles (but OTOH once the woodland is fully planted I will have to split them up more often?) Dilemma!

My Bluebells are only just showing (this is their first year, so they may be bigger / bolder in future years, once established. No Spanish here ...) and I wonder if I should underplant them with Snowdrops and/or Aconites for a flowering succession? or will the Bluebells smoother the others once they are mature? It seems to me that Bluebell woodlands make a very dense carpet

 

Just a personal opinion, but keep them separate! A big clump of one sort makes far more impact than spotty mixtures. The only reason to mix posh snowdrops with nivalis is to extend the season of interest, no?
If you want a bit of variety from the bulbs, what about introducing white, pink or blue violets?

 

Yes, good point. Although ... I could have separate paths / routes for different parts of the season - so wall-to-wall-carpet at any season, just choose the right route for Early, Mid or Late (although i see not point in having Late as the flowers don't last as long in warmer weather, and my mind has already moved on to whatever crop / flower is In Season at that time.

I think my problem is that I don't think that I do! Just looking either for reassurance, or to be told I'm Weird!

I've planted a couple of patches of Aconites + Snowdrops, I'll see what they look like next year and either dig one up, or extend the concept. That's probably my answer

 

I agree - keep them separate. If you want to break it all up a bit maybe add Anenome blanda in occasional clumps?

Will you be laying down on your belly looking at them enough to appreciate the extra expense??!!

 

Assuming the Aconites are yellow I think they would overpower snowdrops with their colour. I'd keep the white theme going, if you want to add something else perhaps white Hellebores with speckled colour on the flowers, just to take the edge off what would be a completely white carpet.

 

Quite! And in the coldest month of the year ...

I have decided, with the benefit of 20:20 hindsight not to mention some rewriting of history! , that the reason I am growing some poncey varieties is so that I can have little vases at each place setting, when we have folk round to dinner, with poncey snowdrop flowers in each. They'll all go "Oh! Didn't know snowdrops could look like that".

Correct YOU will all say ...

 

Some photos from Google. I quite like the effect in these photos, but am sceptical that that will be how it looks in the Real World, rather than the Digital World


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gar...s-aconites-welcome-winter-thousand-roses.html


http://carolynsshadegardens.com/tag/giant-snowdrop/

By the by, from that second garden I rather like these:


Chionodoxa


"Snow crocus growing in the grass courtyard behind the house."

 

Sorry Kristen, I think the Aconites overpower the Snowdrops. When I look at the picture above it's the Aconites that draw my eyes not the Snowdrops.

The picture above has reminded me, there's a large front garden in my village that is completely laid to lawn and is totally covered in Crocuses at the moment. I keep meaning to wander up there and take a few pictures.

 

No need to apologise, I am expecting not to like the combination (when it flowers next year), and the point of my post was just to get confirmation that I hadn't made a big Boo-Boo planting [nearly all of] them as distinctly separate areas

Yes please I'm contemplating where I could make a planting like that, I think it looks stunning.

 

Hmmm, it looks like it's going to be raining for the next few days but if we get a break in the weather I'll be up there with my one eyed friend.

 

Here you go Kristen. Sorry about the focusing but you get the gist. The property is on a hill so I could rest my elbows on the four to five foot retaining wall.

 

Looks amazing doesn't it?!!

I wonder how many they had to plant, and how much they have spread by themselves?

I've never grown Crocuses, so I have no idea.

 

Yes it does look good, it's a shame the sun wasn't around to open them up.

I've lived near this property for seventeen years and thinking about it the crocuses have only really caught my eye in the last two to three, which tells me they weren't in great abundance before that. I reckon they've been there at least six years and were possibly planted in small groups initially.

I can't even be cheeky and knock on the door for info as it's for sale and standing empty.