bulbs with annuals/herbaceous perennials

[Nordmead]

i've bought a load of spring bulbs and i was wondering if you could just plant some annuals or something like rudbeckia over the top after they've finished, would i need to leave a massive gap between them? most of the annuals i have in mind i could probably get away with sowing direct (i.e. poppies, cornflowers, nasturtiums etc.) but would i get away with planting plugs of things i've had to sow early like rudbeckia and cosmos? (i suppose i could just put them in a different section of the garden )

sorry it's a bit rambley (if that's a word ) but it's my first time with bulbs and i haven't got a clue

also would someone be able able give me an idea of how i could inter plant these bulbs? i have about 25 muscaris, 7 abba tulips, 8 pink hyacinths and 12 bridal crown daffodills

also separately i have 25 botanical tulips

any help would be greatly appreciated

[FionaH]

I have stuff planted over the top of bulbs, it all comes up at different times. Try it and see

[roitelet]

Plant the bulbs in clumps at twice their height deep and don't to forget to mark the clumps so you don't dig them up by mistake. Later you can plant other stuff in and around them.

[Two_Sheds]

would someone be able able give me an idea of how i could inter plant these bulbs?

I'm not really sure what you mean by inter-plant? If you mean "where do I put them" then I'd say check the packet for sun/shade directions, then just chuck them on the ground. Dig a hole under where they fall and pop them in

[Helgalush]

I have perennials and annuals in with my bulbs, some plants were planted before the bulbs and several went in after, I didnt know exactly where my bulbs were but if I stumbled across them when trying to plant other things, then I'd just leave them where I found them, recover them and put my plants in a bit further over. I have some more bulbs to go in now around the perennials that are there, and will be sowing more annuals next year as well.

[rustylady]

Just decide where you want your colours. Remember the height of the grown plants (on the packet) and remember to plant in groups of 3 or 5. You can plant or sow annuals over your bulbs next year.

[Nordmead]

thanks for the replies everyone

it was just last night i searched google and there were quite a few threads saying dont plant anything over bulbs

also about the spacing, if it says 2" does that mean 2" from the edge of the bulb you planted to the other bulbs edge or 2" from the centre to the other bulbs centre? i think im a bit too ocd to plant bulbs

if you have no clue what i'm an about then this should clear it up :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v246/bobik/space.png

[FionaH]

I don't worry too much about spacing tbh, just chuck em in

[Helgalush]

thanks for the replies everyone

it was just last night i searched google and there were quite a few threads saying dont plant anything over bulbs

also about the spacing, if it says 2" does that mean 2" from the edge of the bulb you planted to the other bulbs edge or 2" from the centre to the other bulbs centre? i think im a bit too ocd to plant bulbs

if you have no clue what i'm an about then this should clear it up :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v246/bobik/space.png

I havent planted anything over the bulbs, just near them.

I know what you mean about worrying about the spacing, but I do agree with the last comment - dont worry too much and plonk them in. When I planted mine I was a bit OCD about it too, and planted them all at least 6" apart from each other to be on the safe side. To be honest when they came up it looked a bit naff, so I've bought a load more to put in and am now going to try to cluster them a bit better.

Paying attention to height is a good idea, though.

[Two_Sheds]

quite a few threads saying dont plant anything over bulbs

Well that's nonsense isn't it? Think about areas of grass (I'm thinking council parks) that come alive with daffs every spring. The grass is grown over the bulbs, as are the bedding plants the council put in when the daffs are finished.
You can definitely plant stuff over bulbs, go ahead

if it says 2" does that mean 2" from the edge of the [next] bulb

yes it does. What it means is you need a gap of 2" of soil between the bulbs.
Otherwise, if your bulbs measured 3" across and you planted them 2" from the centre of each, they'd be touching