Summer Bulbs

Just about to order 300 bulbs (mix of ixeas,Homeria,Allium,Echinacea Purpea and Hemerocallis Autumn) but before I do would like to know 2 things - Will these come back next year and when it says 25 bulbs do I plant these all together to get a good display or do I spread them out all over the place?

 

yes they ll come back , squirrels permitting,,,, and i d plant in groups/drift eg 3 groups of 8/9 roughly in a pattern

 

to give a natural look, it may be best to get a handfull, and drop them on the ground, and plant where they fall.
in the wild they would not grow in lines, or in measured spots, but staggered.
with the exception of a few bulbs the rule of thumb for planting is to plant bulbs 3 x as deep as they are in hieght, ie a 1" bulb needs to be planted 3" deep etc. etc..

 

always plant in odd numbers - whether bulbs, bedding plants, whatever - it just looks better!! Honestly!

 

To true! cannot stand gardens where you can see things in even numbers, of straight lines.
city parks are the worst for planting that way, but it's the way they have been done since Victorian times

 

Whilst agreeing that curves, drifts, and more informal planting is my preference - there are some gardens where blocks and regimented planting can look really good. Depends on the garden, and its purpose 'spose.