Spring Meadows

Recently landscapers have begun designing bulb plantings with a natural 'uncultivated' look, mimicing the more informal look of bulb's in the mountainous meadows of their origin in central Asia. While drifts and groups of mass planted Tulips and Daffodils attract and direct the eye from one spot to another through the display, their performance is supported by a selection of exciting specialty bulbs. A broad range of prolific specialty bulbs is available nowadays. Many have great perennial characteristics, will re bloom for years and create intriguing effects when used next to the more traditional flower bulbs.

Now it's coming down to planting them wherever you want; in flower beds, perennial borders, laws, public green or grassy verges. New frontiers are to be explored too; the establishment of extensive Spring Meadows plantings with the recently introduced agile tractor powered bulb planter.

Jaqueline van der Kloet, a Dutch Landscape Architect, has pioneered the liberation of flower bulbs from their traditional setting. Her casual arrangements combine the pleasing with the practical. There is nothing calculated about the way van der Kloet shapes her bulb layouts. She mixes the bulbs up by color and variety in wheelbarrows, tosses them onto the ground as she walks, then plants them where they lie. Bulb size is an exception: She divides large bulbs from small by planting them in layers. 'They do not mix that well,' said van der Kloet. 'So first, you mix the bigger bulbs (tulips, narcissus) and in the second round, you sprinkle the smaller ones (muscari, crocus) in between.'

Good combinations provide color for up to 2 months. Once one bulb types flowers have faded, the next one kicks in. The index aside lists the Bulb Varieties used in the Keukenhof Spring Meadow. The flower bulbs used in this Spring Meadow were distributed at a rate of approx. 180 bulbs/square yard.

Enjoy the liberation of Flower Bulbs from their traditional setting, visit The Seasonal Walk in NY Botanical Garden.

Bulb varieties used in Keukenhof spring meadow