Underplanting Bulbs

Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant' is a splendid little herald of spring, opening early with rich purple cups that soften elegantly to a paler base. Tucked into short grass, threaded beneath deciduous shrubs, or arranged in pots by the front door, it lends a quietly luxurious lift just when the garden most needs it.

A dependable tommasinianus crocus, it settles in happily and, in time, forms pleasing drifts—ideal for naturalistic planting where you’d like the display to feel effortless and established.

• Colour: Purple with softer, paler base tones
• Best use: Naturalising in lawns & meadows, under shrubs, or in pots and containers
• Flowering: February to March
• Growing skill: Easy

Anemone nemorosa ‘Royal Blue’ is a quietly exquisite woodland anemone, offering refined lavender-blue flowers with a neat yellow eye from March to May. Low, carpeting and naturally graceful, it slips effortlessly beneath shrubs and deciduous trees, softening the spring garden with an understated, blue-toned haze.

Once flowering has finished, the plant retreats and becomes dormant, leaving space for later companions—an elegant choice for layered planting in shady borders and woodland-style schemes. Given time, it settles in and forms a pleasing colony for naturalistic drifts.

• Spring colour in shade — lavender-blue blooms with a fresh yellow centre
• Ideal for naturalising — rhizomatous habit suits woodland planting and underplanting
• Easy and dependable — fully hardy, and best in humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil

Anemone nemorosa 'Blue Eyes' is a particularly refined wood anemone, offering crisp white, double blooms, each neatly finished with a violet-blue eye. Designed by nature for dappled shade, it settles happily beneath deciduous shrubs and along woodland edges, where it will return each spring with quiet assurance.

Plant the rhizomes in autumn into humus-rich soil and allow them to naturalise over time. It is especially charming threaded through shady borders, or used as a gentle groundcover in informal plantings.

• White, double flowers with a violet-blue centre
• Ideal for woodland gardens, underplanting and naturalising
• Fully hardy and easy to grow in moist, well-drained ground

Erythronium 'White Beauty' is a quietly exquisite fawn lily for woodland-style planting, admired for its softly mottled foliage and poised, nodding flowers. In late spring, creamy-white, starry blooms open with a warm reddish-brown throat marking—an understated detail that looks particularly refined beneath shrubs, roses, and light-canopied trees.

Best in dappled shade and humus-rich soil that stays gently moist yet drains well, this clump-forming perennial settles in beautifully and will naturalise with time, bringing a calm, considered elegance to shady borders.

• Flowering: April to June
• Height: 30cm
• Spread: 10cm
• Position: Sheltered, Partial Sun
• Soil: Humus-rich, fertile, well-drained; moisture-retentive
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy
• Bulb size: Grade 1

Delightfully informal and effortlessly chic, Muscari ‘Mixed’ brings together a harmonious blend of crisp white, soft sky blue and deeper inky tones. These grape hyacinths are a small indulgence with a surprisingly polished effect—ideal for threading through the front of borders, dotting into grass for a gently naturalised look, or composing into pots for spring tables and doorsteps.

Plant in autumn and allow the bulbs to settle quietly; come April and May, neat bell-shaped blooms rise above fresh green foliage, creating a simple, high-impact display that feels both natural and curated.

• Colour palette: white, light blue and dark blue (mixed)
• Perfect for: pots, underplanting, and naturalising in grass
• Reliable performer: fully hardy, with an easy, accommodating nature
• Pollinator friendly: a welcome early-season food source

Arum italicum is a quietly striking woodland perennial, treasured as much for its foliage as for its flowers. In autumn and winter it unfurls handsome, silver-marbled leaves that lend a refined, architectural note to shaded corners. Come April, curious greenish spathes appear, followed by bright red berries that bring a welcome dash of colour to naturalistic planting.

Superb beneath shrubs and between perennials, Italian arum settles in gracefully and looks particularly composed when allowed to weave through a lightly shaded border or woodland edge.

• Best for: woodland planting, underplanting and softly shaded borders
• Interest: marbled foliage, spring spathes, red berries
• Style: naturalising, understated, architectural

Erythronium 'D.C. Mixed' is a quietly beautiful, naturalising blend for early spring—each bulb producing poised, starry blooms in a gentle palette of white through to rosy purple, often set off by attractively mottled foliage. Tuck into borders, beneath deciduous shrubs, or drift through woodland-style planting for an effortless, established look that improves with time.

Best in a sheltered position with dappled shade, this refined mix is particularly charming when planted in groups, where the subtle variation reads as deliberately curated rather than busy. Fully hardy and pollinator friendly, it’s an elegant way to soften the season’s first weeks.

• Flowering: April–May
• Height: 1–25cm (Short)
• Position: Sheltered; best in dappled shade under deciduous trees
• Ideal for: Naturalising, woodland-style planting, borders, and underplanting deciduous shrubs

Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades' is a quietly enchanting little anemone, sending up clear violet-blue, daisy-like flowers just above neat, dark green foliage in early spring. Low-growing and beautifully natural in character, it is particularly lovely in informal drifts beneath deciduous shrubs, along woodland margins, or nestled into pots by the front door where the first colour of the year is most appreciated.

Plant the corms in autumn into humus-rich, well-drained soil and allow them to settle in; in their first season they establish quickly and then return each spring with increasing charm. An excellent choice for underplanting and gentle, pollinator-friendly planting schemes.

• Colour: Violet-blue
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 15cm
• Planting time: September–December
• Where to plant: Borders, woodland margins, under deciduous shrubs, containers

Eranthis cilicica ‘Cilicica Group’ is a small but thoroughly distinguished winter aconite, bringing a welcome glint of bright yellow to the garden just as winter begins to loosen its grip. Neat, cup-shaped flowers sit above finely divided, rich green foliage, creating a jewel-like effect in woodland edges and beneath deciduous shrubs.

Ideal for naturalising, this tuberous perennial is particularly handsome when planted in generous drifts where it may settle in over time. A lovely choice for lawns (where mowing can wait until the foliage has died back), as well as underplanting trees and shrubs for an early season flourish.

• Flowering: February–April
• Height: 10cm
• Habit: Clump-forming; well-suited to naturalising
• For: Woodland gardens, underplanting, naturalising in grass

Cyclamen hederifolium is a quietly luxurious woodland cyclamen, admired for its ivy-shaped leaves brushed with silver marbling and its poised, pink, nodding blooms. Flowers often arrive ahead of—or alongside—the foliage, bringing a refined lift to late summer and early autumn, just as the garden begins to soften.

Equally at home naturalised beneath deciduous trees and shrubs or arranged in a handsome pot near the doorstep, it settles into a neat clump over time and returns with reassuring regularity.

• Seasonal flourish: pink flowers from August–October
• Foliage interest: green leaves with elegant silver marbling
• Placement: ideal for woodland edges, underplanting and containers
• Reliable character: fully hardy, easy to grow, and pollinator friendly

For a quietly enchanting start to spring, Chionodoxa forbesii brings neat, starry flowers in an intense blue, each one finished with a crisp white eye. Small in stature yet wonderfully effective, it settles into clumps over time and is particularly handsome when allowed to naturalise—threaded through short grass, tucked into gravel, or dotted along the very front of the border.

Plant in autumn and look forward to a refined haze of early colour from March into April. It is equally charming in containers, where the clear blue reads as distinctly fresh against stone, terracotta, and evergreen foliage.

• Colour: Intense blue with a clear white eye
• Flowering: March–April
• Height (established): 15cm
• Spread: 10cm
• Habit: Clump-forming perennial bulb
• Best for: Naturalising, gravel gardens, containers, underplanting

Ipheion ‘Alberto Castillo’ is a quietly distinguished little starflower, prized for its crisp white, starry blooms, each petal finished with the most delicate hint of green at the centre. Emerging in late winter and carrying on through early spring, it makes a neat, light-green carpet that looks wonderfully composed in drifts.

Superb for naturalising through grass, threading beneath shrubs and roses, or bringing a fresh note to patio pots by the door. Fully hardy and notably unfussy, it’s an elegant way to lift the garden when the season still feels young.

• Flowering: February–April
• Height: 20cm
• Bulb size: 5/6cm
• Best for: naturalising, containers, underplanting

Please note: Deer resistance can vary by location and pressure; this variety is generally avoided, but cannot be guaranteed.

Anemone blanda 'Mixed' is one of spring’s most charming little luxuries: a low, naturalising drift of starry, daisy-like flowers in jewel shades of blue, purple and pink, each finished with a neat golden centre. Thread it through borders, underplant deciduous shrubs, or tuck into pots by the door for early-season colour with a light, effortless air.

These fully hardy corms settle in quickly and, in the right spot, will return to form a fresh carpet year after year—particularly lovely in rock gardens, at the front of borders, and dotted through lawns for a quietly romantic look.

• Flowering: March–May
• Height: 10–15cm
• Spread: 10–15cm
• Position: Full sun or partial sun (sheltered)
• Soil: Moist but well-drained loam; any pH
• Type: Perennial corm (Fully Hardy)

For a spring display with proper presence, Narcissus 'Large Flowering Mixture' offers a generous selection of large, single blooms in assorted tones. Chosen for easy naturalising and reliable colour, this mixture settles in beautifully through borders, lawns, and beneath deciduous trees and shrubs—returning with increasing character year after year.

Each upright stem carries one showy flower, with cups ranging from classic trumpet forms to softer, bowl-shaped silhouettes. Plant in drifts for a relaxed, natural look, or use in pots and containers to bring a fresh, well-bred note to terraces and doorsteps.

• Ideal for naturalising in grass, woodland edges, and informal borders
• Large, single flowers with varied cup shapes for an elegant mixed display
• Fully hardy and pleasingly dependable
• Deer resistant, for more assured spring performance

Scilla siberica 'Alba' is the quietly sophisticated, white-flowered form of Siberian squill. Each bulb produces neat stems carrying nodding, bell-shaped blooms above slender green leaves—an exquisitely simple way to brighten the first weeks of spring.

Superb for naturalising, it threads effortlessly through lawns, settles happily beneath shrubs, and looks particularly poised in gravel and rock gardens. Plant in generous drifts for a calm, luminous effect that returns year after year.

• Refined white, bell-shaped flowers for early spring elegance
• Ideal for naturalising in grass and informal planting schemes
• Fully hardy and easy to grow
• Pollinator friendly spring forage

Muscari armeniacum is the sort of spring bulb one comes to rely upon: neat, clump-forming foliage topped with dense, upright spires of violet-blue bells, each delicately tipped in white. Thread it through borders for a crisp early lift, tuck it beneath shrubs and roses, or let it quietly naturalise in grass where it will settle in and return with increasing charm.

Exceptionally easy to grow and fully hardy, it is a refined little workhorse for pots, pathways and rock gardens—particularly handsome when planted in generous drifts.

• Colour: Violet-blue with white tips
• Flowering: March to May
• Height: 20cm
• Best for: Containers, borders, underplanting, naturalising in grass

Erythronium 'Pagoda' is a particularly graceful woodland bulb, producing swept-back, star-shaped flowers in soft yellow above handsome, mottled foliage. It settles in beautifully beneath deciduous shrubs and at the front of lightly shaded borders, where its refined spring display feels both natural and quietly special.

Clump-forming and fully hardy, this dog’s tooth violet is well suited to naturalising in a well-drained soil—especially where the ground holds moisture in spring yet never sits waterlogged.

• Flower colour: Yellow
• Flowering period: April–May
• Height: 25–35 cm
• Spread: 10–20 cm
• Position: Partial sun (ideal for woodland gardens and the shaded edge of borders)

Chionodoxa luciliae ‘Violet Beauty’ is a most refined little bulb for early spring, sending up neat green leaves followed by starry, pale violet flowers, each softly brightened by a lighter centre. It is particularly lovely naturalised through grass, tucked into gravel, or threaded at the front of borders where its colour reads as a gentle wash rather than a shout.

• Colour: Violet-purple flowers with pale/white centres
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 15cm
• Habit: Clump-forming; ideal for naturalising
• Best placed: Borders, rockeries, gravel gardens, lawns (naturalising), under shrubs

Plant in autumn and allow it time to settle; within a couple of seasons it will look increasingly assured, returning faithfully and pairing beautifully with early crocus, miniature narcissus and the first primroses.

Chionodoxa luciliae ‘Alba’ is a small bulb of impeccable manners—sending up neat, green, narrow leaves topped with clusters of crisp, starry white flowers as the garden begins to stir. It is particularly handsome naturalised through grass, threaded into gravel, or tucked at the front of borders where its quiet brightness reads as effortlessly considered.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle; over time it forms clumps and lends a refined, early-season lift beneath shrubs and around spring companions.

• Colour: White (Whites & Creams)
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 15cm
• Best for: Naturalising, gravel and rock gardens, underplanting shrubs

Delightfully early and wonderfully natural in spirit, Chionodoxa forbesii 'Blue Giant' (now placed within Scilla) brings a crisp drift of starry blue blooms, each finished with a neat white eye. It sits prettily above fresh green foliage, lighting up borders, gravel gardens and the edges of lawns just as winter begins to loosen its hold.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle in quietly; in the right place it will look increasingly at home year after year. Particularly charming threaded through meadow grass, beneath shrubs, or in containers near the doorstep where those first flowers are best appreciated.

• Colour: blue with white centres
• Style: star-shaped flowers, naturally elegant in informal plantings
• Best for: naturalising in lawns & meadow grass, gravel and rock gardens, underplanting shrubs and roses
• Pollinator friendly: yes

Cyclamen coum is the sort of quietly exquisite plant that earns its keep when the garden feels at its most spare. Nestled low to the ground, it forms neat, clump-forming colonies of rounded, dark green leaves, often handsomely silver-marbled, followed by nodding, starry flowers in pink to purple-pink from mid-winter into early spring.

Superb for naturalising in a woodland-style setting, tucking beneath shrubs, or bringing a little refinement to pots by the door. Given a sheltered position in dappled shade and reliably well-drained soil, it will return each year with increasing presence.

• Season of interest: late winter to early spring
• Perfect for: naturalising, woodland gardens, underplanting shrubs, pots & containers
• Foliage: rounded green leaves, often silver-marbled
• Flower colour: pink to purple-pink (mixed shades)

Chionodoxa ‘Pink Giant’ is a refined little treasure for the earliest days of spring: soft pink, star-shaped blooms, each finished with a crisp white eye, rising above fresh green foliage. It has a wonderfully natural look when allowed to drift through grass, thread between border perennials, or sparkle in gravel planting—quietly charming, never fussy.

Plant in autumn and let it settle in; over time it will form neat clumps and lend a gentle, painterly haze of colour just when the garden most needs it.

• Elegant early colour — pale pink flowers with a clean white centre (March–April)
• Ideal for naturalising — beautiful in lawns, gravel gardens, and informal drifts
• Compact and tidy — perfect at the front of borders or in containers

At a glance

• Botanical name: Chionodoxa ‘Pink Giant’
• Common name: Glory of the snow
• Flower colour: Pale pink with white centre
• Height: 20cm
• Spread: 10cm
• Habit: Clump-forming
• Lifecycle: Perennial bulb
• Pollinator friendly: Yes

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Ipheion uniflorum ‘Wisley Blue’ is a delightfully refined spring starflower, offering lilac-blue, starry blooms with a gentle fragrance. Sitting neatly above light green, strap-like foliage, it lends itself beautifully to informal drifts through borders, the gravel garden, and quietly charming containers near a doorway or terrace.

Compact and clump-forming, it is particularly well suited to underplanting beneath shrubs and at the woodland edge, where it will settle in and return reliably each year.

• Colour: Lilac-blue
• Flowering: February to April
• Height x spread: 10cm x 10cm
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy
• Position: Full-Sun or Partial Sun
• Soil: Well-drained loam, any pH
• Planting time: September to December
• Supplied as: Bulbs (5/6cm)

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica is the sort of small bulb that earns its place by sheer refinement. Low, neat and quietly pretty, it sends up slender green leaves followed by dainty, star-shaped flowers—white with the faintest pale blue striping—just as the garden begins to wake in early spring.

Ideal for naturalising, it weaves beautifully through grass, beneath deciduous shrubs, or at the front of borders. It is equally charming in pots, where its fine detail can be enjoyed up close.

• Flower: Star-shaped, white with pale blue stripe
• Best for: Naturalising, rock gardens, containers, underplanting shrubs
• Season: Plant in autumn for spring display

Anemone 'Lipsiensis Nemorosa' is a quietly distinguished woodland anemone, offering soft yellow-white, single blooms as spring begins to stir. Ideal for weaving through shaded borders and beneath deciduous trees, it settles into humus-rich ground and, in time, forms an elegant, low carpet of fresh green foliage and flowers.

Plant in autumn and allow it to establish at its own unhurried pace; the effect is particularly lovely when naturalised in drifts, or used to soften the edge of a woodland path. It is fully hardy and well-suited to pots and containers where light is dappled and the soil stays gently moist.

• Flowering: March–April
• Colour: pale yellow to yellow-white
• Habit: ground cover, perennial
• Best position: woodland edge; under deciduous trees and shrubs