Borders with a basic planting of perennials and/or low shrubs offer a variety of opportunities for adding flower bulbs:

A once-only addition of bulbs used as a one-year planting. This could be done for a special occasion such as an anniversary, a spring wedding, or a special party. To make the occasion even more festive, use flower bulbs meant to accentuate the particular theme.

Create a border in the colors of the wedding or other occasion. Although planting the bulbs as dry bulbs in the autumn would be preferable, it’s also possible, even at the last minute, to take advantage of bulbs cultivated in pots to create an “instant border”.

Adding flower bulbs suitable for multiple-year flowering to an existing border is a question of finding a balance in colors and shapes between the existing plants and the bulbs to be added. Will the emphasis be on similarities or contrasts? Will flowering periods be distributed over the season or exhibit a peak explosion of color?

Bulbs suitable for naturalizing are especially appropriate for somewhat less formal borders planted in perennials such as Geranium, Brunnera, Omphalodes, and Hypericum used as groundcovers. Good choices for bulbs in this situation would be early-flowering crocuses, scillas, Chionodoxa and small daffodils.

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