7 Best Bulbs to Plant in Spring for Summer Blooms
While spring bulbs often steal the spotlight, summer-flowering bulbs offer an incredible opportunity to extend your garden's beauty well into the warm season. Gardening expert Madison Moulton lists the 7 best bulbs that transform your garden in summer.
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Many gardeners associate bulb planting with fall preparation for spring blooms, like the classic tulips and daffodils we all know and love. But if you’ve missed the fall planting window, or simply want more color in summer too, spring is the perfect time to plant summer bulbs.
There are many summer bulbs to choose from, but these are a few of our favorites. You’ll find flowers in every shape and color you can imagine, perfect for filling any part of your garden.
Begonia
The first spring-planted bulb on our list is one I think gets unfairly overlooked: begonias. These summer bulbs are super easy to grow and flower reliably. You can find them in vivid or muted hues, so you’ll certainly find a color that fits your garden design.
One of the biggest benefits of growing begonias is their ability to thrive in the shade. You don’t have to worry about finding a prime spot in full sun to see as many flowers as possible.
Because of their love of shade and compact size, begonias are incredibly versatile. You can plant them in containers or beds, and they’re perfect for filling spots under trees, either in the ground or planted in hanging baskets.
For maximum color and impression, double begonia bulbs are the way to go. They come in warm hues (‘Yellow Double’ and ‘Orange Double’ are bright and eye-catching), or you can go with a more classic ‘Pink Double’. If you prefer neutral colors, try ‘White Double’ with adorable ruffled petals that look great wherever they’re planted.
These are relatively small plants, growing to about a foot in height. They can even be grown indoors if you want to bring a touch of summer color into your home. Begonias pair particularly well with trailing ivy or other contrasting flowers like sweet alyssum.
Calla Lily
If you’re looking for something a bit taller to really stand out in the garden, try planting calla lilies. These summer bulbs are known for their trumpet flowers and elegant shape, especially varieties with two-tone blooms like ‘Pasja’ or ‘Red Alert’. Like begonias, they’re impressively low maintenance and generally don’t require much attention after planting.
These upright, elegant stems are great for cutting. They last throughout summer, so you’ll always have blooms to bring indoors and extend the summer season. They also grow well in containers to keep on your patio or balcony.
Or, you can plant these bulbs in spring in groups straight in the ground. In that case, I would choose a couple of different varieties that pair well together, like ‘Black Eyed Lady’ with ‘Golden Star’. These complement each other while providing variety in color that keeps beds interesting.
Calla lilies are happy to grow in partial shade but need a little bit more light than begonias to flower prolifically. They like moderately moist soil and will rot quickly if the soil is soggy, so make sure the soil you plant in is well-draining.
Canna Lily
Not to be confused with calla lilies, canna lilies are the next summer bulb on our list. These impressive flowers have lots of texture and vibrant color in their flower spikes. The leaves add a tropical touch that matches their heat tolerance.
These bulbs are incredibly forgiving. If you’re new to growing bulbs, you don’t have to worry about any tricky maintenance tasks. After planting in spring, as long as the soil remains moist but not soggy, these bulbs will grow without much attention or effort from you.
If you want to plant bulbs this spring to fill space in the garden, this is definitely a great choice. They reach several feet tall, adding vertical interest to the back of beds along with your perennial flowers. As long as you have a pot that’s big enough, you can also grow these flowers in containers.
If you’re pairing them with other summer bulbs in a bed, keep them at the back so that they don’t overshadow other plants. They prefer a sunny spot rather than partial shade for maximum flowers.
Your choice of variety will depend on which colors and design you prefer. ‘The President’ is a great red variety that stands out in the garden for its bold color. Or, try ‘Yellow Futurity’ for an explosion of sunny yellow flowers. For more muted colors, try something like ‘Apricot Frost’ with a peachy tinge that is popular in gardens at the moment.
Dahlia
One of the most famous summer–blooming bulbs you can grow is the dahlia. Plant these bulbs in spring to enjoy their massive flowers, packed with dense petals that seem almost too perfect to come from nature. There are many different types of dahlias in various sizes, colors, and shapes, so you’re bound to find at least one (typically a lot more) that you instantly fall in love with.
Dahlias have large geometric flowers with densely packed petals that slowly unfurl from the bud. They have a long blooming season, starting in summer and going all the way up until first frost. They make wonderful cut flowers, allowing you to bring some of that beauty indoors in your arrangements.
Depending on which variety you choose, they also grow well in containers. Just make sure you water often, as the soil in containers dries out quicker. Plant them in a pot that is large enough for the mature size of the bulb you’re planning to grow.
Some smaller varieties include ‘Orange Nugget’ and ‘Wittem’. Or you can go for the larger varieties with spiked petals like ‘Deutschland’ with red flowers, ‘La Luna’ with a soft buttery yellow, or ‘Cloudy Sky’ with dark pink petals and contrasting white centers.
Another bonus of dahlias is that they are pollinator-friendly, attracting bees and butterflies. If you have a pollinator garden or an area you want to fill with pollinator-friendly flowers, this summer bulb is a great choice.
Gladiolus
To bring height and drama to your garden in summer, you can’t go wrong with gladiolus bulbs. These plants have tall flower spikes with several individual flowers in vivid and eye-catching colors. The shape and their long-lasting nature make them amazing candidates for cut flower arrangements. Pair them with other summer bulbs or keep them on their own—they’ll look just as good.
Like canna lilies, gladiolus is great for adding height in the garden. Once they’re in flower, you certainly won’t miss these tall flower spikes amongst other perennials and annuals in your beds.
Because they grow so tall, it’s best to plant these bulbs in spring in a spot shielded from high winds to stop the spikes from falling over or snapping. They need full sun to perform at their best (at least six to eight hours of direct light per day).
Since gladiolus bulbs are known for their show-stopping colors, most are vivid, bright, and very eye-catching. ‘Jester’ has yellow and orange flowers, while ‘Helvetia’ has classic red and white blooms. If you want a bit more drama, try purple ‘Flirty’ or deep pink ‘Fidelo’. For muted garden palettes, you can’t go wrong with ‘White Prosperity‘ gladiolus bulbs.
Lily
We’ve previously looked at calla lilies and canna lilies, and although they have ‘lily’ in their common names, these summer bulbs are technically not true lilies. They’re not part of the lily family. For true lilies, you need Lilium auratum, or Asiatic lilies.
Plant these bulbs in spring to enjoy their tropical forms and intricate coloring, with petals sporting many different hues and patterns all in one single flower.
‘Stargazer’ has dark pink petals with even darker spots and white tips, creating a halo-like effect around the flowers. ‘Salmon Party’ has a similar coloration but with a salmon pink color. There are also showstoppers like ‘Patricia’s Pride’ with contrasting deep purple and creamy white tips to catch your eye in the garden.
If this range of colors doesn’t suit your garden design, stick with solid hues like the yellow ‘Sundew’ (which is a double lily), ‘Red Velvet’ for moody red flowers, or the classic white ‘Casa Blanca’.
These flowers grow up to three to four feet tall, making them good for borders, containers, and cut flowers. The long stems are easy to trim and use in your cut flower arrangements. They don’t have a blooming period as long as some of the other summer bulbs on our list, but you will enjoy their flowers from early to mid-summer, depending on planting time and your climate. Even though they are more short-lived, the intricate blooms are well worth the effort.
Despite their intricate look, Asiatic lilies are not difficult to grow. If you plant them in the right spot with full sun to partial shade and well-draining soil, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting them to flower prolifically.
Mixes
If you’ve gone through this list and you’re struggling to choose which summer bulb is right for planting in spring, you can always choose a curated mix that suits your garden design. There are a few collections to choose from, each including 21 to 30 bulbs, designed to be planted together for an explosion of color, texture, and shape in your beds.
There are eye-catching hues in mixes like ‘Citrus Zest’ or ‘Fruit Punch’ if you prefer a range of colors. Or if you want a more harmonious color palette, you can try the pink ‘Cotton Candy’ or the purple and pink ‘Tutti Fruity.’ If you love pastel hues, then ‘Guava Glow’ with a combination of yellow, blush peach, and dark pink bulbs is the perfect option for you.
By combining these summer bulbs in your garden, you’ll create a display that evolves throughout the season. Or, stick to one type and choose a few different varieties for a uniform, impressive look. The combinations are almost endless.
