A spring bulb border can be an incredible addition to the garden. Reliable and stunning, these are the plants that bring things back to life after the long, cold winter. When layered with different heights, colors, foliage, and bloom times, it’s positively stunning.

Spring bulbs are best planted in the fall. October falls in the safe range for all but the coldest regions. The reason for fall planting is their need for a period of cold stratification, or vernalization. The exposure to cold is a main factor in what makes them bloom best.

There are a few things to keep in mind when selecting the right bulb combinations for a spring border. Creating layers always has a lovely effect, so choose plants that grow to different heights. This way, you fill every space with foliage, even when they’re not in bloom.

It’s also nice to choose flowers that bloom at different times in the season. It’s nice for them to overlap slightly so that you have the combination blooming at the same time for a period. Your color combinationof course, is a factor and can make a strong impression.

Finally, foliage masking is important. Some perennials have large foliage that can outgrow your bulbs before they’re done with their bloom cycle. Try to avoid this when possible.

Here are some beautiful bulb combinations for your spring border to inspire and set you on your way to creating your own garden masterpiece!

Bulb Planting Auger

Power Planter Bulb Planting Auger

Espoma Bio-tone Starter

Espoma Bio-tone Starter Plant Food

Epic Organic Garden Straw

Epic Organic Garden Straw

Yellow Daffodils and Purple Muscari

Daffodils and muscari (also called grape hyacinth) make a beautiful pairing, visually and practically. This combination of blue-violet and yellow is eye-catching and complementary. You could go with a paler variety of either, but the vividness of these saturated colors is wonderful.

Daffodils are taller than muscari, which makes them great for layering. The muscari will remain close to six inches tall. The daffodils will rise head and shoulders above, blooming at about one foot tall. The muscari forms a lovely blanket under the sunny daffodils.

Both of these bulbs bloom in the middle of the season, so they are almost guaranteed to overlap in bloom time. This means that the overall bloom season will be shorter than with some other combinations. But this one is so lovely while it lasts.

Both plants in this combination thrive in the same conditions. They are hardy spring perennials that naturalize over time. They both have foliage that dies back at about the same time, making them easy to maintain.

Dark Tulips and White Daffodils

This is one of the most elegant bulb combinations for the spring border. The dark, elegant tulips look refined against the feminine ruffles of these white daffodils. This pairing can be a bit more difficult to achievebut it’s so worth it.

Daffodils and tulips bloom around the same time, depending on the variety. Think about using some late or early-season tulip bulbs to pair with your mid-season daffodils. This will create a longer-lasting display with a brief overlap.

Daffodils and tulips are similar in height, so opt for a taller tulip to achieve that layered look. Their blooms are quite different, so that in itself contributes to a harmonious pairing. Daffodils tend to be more reliable year after year. For this reason, bulk up on these and use them as a backbone for the border.

Pink and Purple Hyacinths

This combination doesn’t follow the rules, but isn’t it magnificent? I think I might be able to smell it through my screen! Hyacinths are lovely and fragrant. One stem can throw its perfume through an entire room. Imagine what this incredible spring border must smell like!

Hyacinths are mid-season bloomers. They are short and stocky and produce a massive number of small, sweet-smelling blossoms. Their compact size means that when planted close together, they form a neat, dense carpet.

This is an ideal spring border for a space you visit often. It would be a crime not to enjoy the scent of this collection of pink and purple flowers. The late-season tulips behind them will add another layer of beauty when they bloom.

Red Tulips and Blue Muscari

This spring bulb color combination is breathtaking. The cool blue violet of the muscari and the brilliant lipstick red of the tulips are a perfect pair. They also complement each other in height and bloom time.

Muscura is a mid-spring bloomer, and tulips vary. You can choose to overlap their bloom times with early or late blooming tulips. Alternatively, you can choose a mid-season bulb. That way, you’ll have a more showy, if shorter-lived, border.

The muscari are low-growing and create a stunning carpet close to the ground. They fill in around the base of taller tulips. They’re both fond of full sun exposure and well-drained soil. Tulip bulbs are tricky in warmer climates, so if you’re south of zone 7, stick with daffodils in this combination.

White Tulips and Purple Alliums

This wonderful spring border combination will give you an extra-long bloom time. Alliums and tulips complement each other in form and timing, and can flower well into early summer if you plant them correctly.

Recall that there are different types of tulips. There are early, mid-season, and late-blooming bulbs. Alliums are late spring bloomers, so I would choose a mid-season tulip. This will give you the longest consistent blooming time.

Tulips are shorter than most alliums. Here in this combination are giant alliums which can tower up to 40 inches over your garden. Tulips typically don’t grow taller than 24 inches. The two create lovely layers and staggered blooming in the spring border.

Orange Tulips, Lavender Hyacinths, and White Daffodils

This colorful spring border display has three different bulbs that combine to create a wonderful color blocking. This is one of the most classic bulb combinations, and they work together wonderfully.

The daffodils will open first, creating a fluffy white and yellow foundation. Hyacinths are next, as they flower in mid-spring. These lavender ones soften the brilliant orange of the late-season tulips.

You can create a color blocking arrangementas you see in this photo. You can also layer these with hyacinths in the front and tulips in the back. Daffodils are a perfect middle ground to connect the two.

Purple and White Alliums

This is another combination of colors rather than species. Alliums are incredibly effective for creating structure in the spring border. This combination includes many varieties of allium with slightly different flower forms and different colors.

Layering different color bulbs with similar flower forms creates a different, but no less stunning effect than using different flowers. This is an easy combination to create as it consists of simple layers in different heights and colors. You can use alliums to create layers or as architectural elements mixed in with lower growers.

Blue and Yellow Irises

Bearded irises are some of the most interesting and beautiful blooms in the spring garden. Their flamboyant flowers come in a multitude of shades and color combinations. I love this blend of soft, buttery yellows with cool, crisp blues. These grow from rhizomeswhich are technically not bulbs, but they are similar.

Bearded irises are similar to tulips in terms of their timing. There are early, midand late season bloomers. You can include a variety for an extended flowering period that lasts from about April through June. May is the peak season for bearded irises, earlier in warmer climates.

I love that this bulb combination for the spring border has a wildflower, meadow feeling. The tall, staggered irises have a ton of movement. And the blue-green foliage is bold and creates a substantial foundation.

Blue Camassia and White Daffodils

This last of the bulb combinations for spring borders is a stellar one. It’s delicate and sweet, and has an extended bloom time as camassias are later to flower than daffodils. Daffodils are just finishing up as your camassias are beginning to open. There should be just a week or two where both are blooming together.

These two have great color harmony. The daffodils are white with a touch of warm yellow. A solid yellow would look just as wonderful with pretty blue camassia in the spring border. These bulbs both naturalize easilyand in the coming years, they will take on a wilder aesthetic.