Spring Bulb Collections: The Easiest Way to Plan a Border

Choosing and combining bulb varieties one by one is half the fun for some gardeners — and half the hassle for everyone else. A pre-planned collection solves the second problem entirely.

What a collection gets right

A good bulb collection has already done the colour scheming and succession planning for you: varieties are chosen to flower in sequence and to complement rather than clash, so the border looks considered without any design work on your part.

A ready-made option

The Spring Companions Bulb Collection (buy from Thompson & Morgan →) bundles complementary varieties into one order — useful if you're planting a new border from scratch and don't want to buy and plan half a dozen separate lines.

Planting a collection

Treat each variety in the collection according to its own planting depth and spacing — collections save you the design decisions, not the digging. Group each variety in its own drift rather than mixing bulbs randomly, for a more natural, layered look.

Where hardy orchids fit in

Once your bulb collection is planted and mapped out, hardy orchids such as Epipactis or Spiranthes make excellent later-season additions to the same border, extending interest once the bulbs have finished for the year.