A Guide to the Best Bulbs to Plant Under Trees

Planting flowers under trees adds color and depth to your garden. A shaded yard with several trees does not have to go without flowers the entire growing season, bulbs are a great way to bring a variety of foliage and blooms to what would otherwise be a very empty spot.

When you plant bulbs under trees, there are a few things to remember. Making sure you plant your bulbs correctly and in the right places guarantees that they will bloom. Here are the best bulbs for planting under trees and some tips to planting them.

Things to Remember
Bulbs should only be planted under deciduous trees, those that loose their leave in the fall, because bulbs just like other plants need sunlight. Do not plant bulbs under pines or evergreens, this would be a very big waste of your time and money. Other things to look for when considering which trees to plant your bulbs under are the location of the trees limbs, consider the age and height of the tree. The higher up the limbs are on the tree trunk, the more light your bulbs will get.

Secondly, plant your bulbs under trees with deep roots, you can tell by looking for tree roots in the soil around the tree. If you can see tree roots weaving up and down through the soil around the tree then it is not a good idea to plant bulbs under the tree. If instead, tree roots go down into the soil near the base of the tree, go ahead and plant bulbs.

The Best Bulbs to Plant Under Trees

Grape Hyacinth- Thick spikes of blue flowers that pop up very early in the spring before your trees will have begun to bud themselves.

Early Daffodils- A spring bulb that produces a bright yellow flower, sometimes called a buttercup because of the flowers cup like appearance. There are some varieties of daffodils that can tolerate some shade better than others.

Snowdrop- A delicate white flower on tall stalks of green. This is a very common and easy to grow bulb, a great choice for those that are nervous about planting bulbs for the first time.

Bearded Iris- There are several types of iris bulbs, and the best way to find out what grows best in your area is to head to a local nursery. But, bearded irises are a great bulb to grow in several zones. Plant these in clumps for the best results and to really show off the deep purple flowers.