Tulip bulb season in full bloom

September, the biggest bulb planting month of the year, is a great example of delayed gratification. After a long, cold winter the sight of those first blooms in late winter and early spring is like discovering buried treasure.

While it's hard not to like a cheerful display of spring tulips and daffodils, from a design aspect, some people look at these bulbs as something of a cliche. There are a lot of other bulbs that are hardy in the Midwest and that will add new dimensions to a bulb planting.

The most common form of tulips and daffodils seen in garden displays are the tall, formal-looking Darwin-type tulips and the large-cupped, trumpet-type daffodils. A completely different effect can be obtained by using less common, but equally dependable, forms of these bulbs.

In the medium to tall range there is the spidery Turkish tulip (Tulipa acuminata, 12 to 18 inches tall), the candy-stick tulip (Tulipa clusiana 6 to 12 inches tall), as well as distinctive-looking hybrids such as the lily-flowered tulips Ballade, fringed Blue Heron, Viridiflora Greenland and the colorful parrot tulips Flaming Parrot.

Low-growing species tulips have the brilliant colored flowers associated with tulips, and what they lack in height some make up for in colorful foliage. Kaufmanniana tulips, Heart's Delight, are early-flowering with large flowers displayed on stems only 4 to 8 inches tall. Fosteriana tulips such as the Red Emperor reach 12 to 18 inches tall and bloom early. Greigii tulips like Red Riding Hood feature brightly colored flowers set against colored and patterned foliage.

With daffodils, big may be beautiful but small can be sensational too. Triandrus narcissus, Hawera, offer multiple flowers per stem on dainty, rock garden plants. Cyclamineus narcissus such as February Gold and Tete a Tete bloom early on 6- to 12-inch stems.

Spring bulbs don't begin and end with tulips and daffodils, though. Most bulbs sold commercially were produced in The Netherlands, where tulips take up six times as much acreage as any other bulbs.

Narcissus and hyacinth species follow tulips in popularity, followed in order of acreage by iris, crocus, grape hyacinths, muscari, allium, Hyacinthoides and Scilla, Chionodoxa and Puschkinia.