Spring vs Summer Bulbs: A Planting Calendar for the Whole Year

Most bulb confusion comes down to one distinction: bulbs that flower in spring are planted the previous autumn, while bulbs that flower in summer are planted in spring. Everything else follows from that.

Autumn planting (September–November) for spring flowers

This covers the large majority of what we've written about: tulips, daffodils, alliums, crocus, hyacinths, bluebells, fritillaries and the smaller rockery bulbs. Plant these once the soil starts to cool, and they'll flower between February and May.

Spring planting (March–May) for summer flowers

Crocosmia is the outlier on this blog — it goes in during spring, once frost risk has passed, and flowers from midsummer into autumn instead.

Techniques that apply across both seasons

The planning ideas we've covered aren't season-specific: a bulb lasagna layers several spring bulbs in one pot, a ready-made bulb collection takes the design decisions off your hands, and choosing pest-resistant varieties or planning deliberate colour combinations both improve results whatever you're planting. If space is the constraint rather than timing, our guide to bulbs for pots and balconies covers container-specific choices.

Where hardy orchids extend the calendar further

Once fritillaries, tulips and daffodils are underway, hardy orchid genera such as Cypripedium, Bletilla and Dactylorhiza flower from April through June, and later genera like Epipactis and Spiranthes carry a garden into late summer — bridging the gap left once the spring bulb season ends and before crocosmia takes over.