It might sound unusual to plan a spring garden now instead of in the fall when bulbs would be planted. However, now is when other spring flowers will be coming into bloom and summer plantings are not in view. One can see exactly how much room is available at this time, make notes, and plant accordingly in the fall. Established bulbs can also be pulled after dying back to be replanted in new areas in autumn.

Spring garden designs can take many forms. They can be designed with all one color in mind or in multiple colors or they can be planted to make intricate outlines in geometric shapes.

A color wheel can be achieved by planting different color tulips close together in a circle as such:

Tulips aren't the only bulbs you can use in a spring garden. Try pansies, Spanish bluebells, hyacinth, grape hyacinth, sweet violets, miniature irises, glory of the snow, daffodil, columbines, crocus and alliums.

Here is a garden design idea for an old fashion spring garden that would go along the side of a house or garage.

1. Sweet Woodruff Edging material is needed to keep sweet woodruff from progressing into the flower area. Woodruff will have tiny white flowers in spring and continues to be lush and green in the summer.

2. Bleeding hearts will bloom with pink or white heart shaped flowers that hang in clusters and continue with green foliage throughout the summer.

3. Spiderwort spreads, this may have to be divided in subsequent years to be manageable, but it is so unusual and blooms all the way to fall, it is worth it.
4. Plant white and purple grape hyacinth along the edging of the Sweet Woodruff
5. Plant regular hyacinth in blue, cream and pink in groupings of about 3 to 5 spaced about 3" apart
6. Plant clumps of 4 to 5 daffodils.
7. Plant clumps of 4 to 5 daffodils, each clump the same color but many different colored clumps.

After the spring flowers die back plant impatiens and begonias among the dying stems. They will spread over the bulbs which will come up again the next year. Your spiderwort will grow larger through the summer. At the end of the season just pull out the annuals and you will be ready for spring again.

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