Summer display in bulb areas

theend00

Hi all ! I hope we're doing well despite the obvious 

I have what is no doubt a newbie question. There are several areas of my garden which are packed with bluebells and daffodils , the former of which have taken it upon themselves to seed wherever they can . During spring the display is like Monty Don's masterpiece , and then in summer it is ,well , lacklustre bare ground with dried seed pods. There are a few plants which have self sown , cranesbills columbines and foxgloves, and I am unsure whether these are really good things to have here or whether I should get rid of them .

Ideally I would like suggestions of some species plants that won't fight too much with the bluebells I adore , so that there will be a natural continuation of flowers come summer . I prefer violets, blues and whites pastel colours , but really any suggestion would be welcome.

Thank you very much for your time ! 

John Joe 

theend00

FlyDragon

I've been growing annuals from seed this year so that they were ready to plant out once my tulips have finished.  

I usually go to the local allotment plant sale every spring for my annuals, not an option this year but if you have allotments near you its worth going if they have a sale.  Usually really good quality plants at absolute bargain prices and you can mix it up every year and try new things. 

Mary370

I agree with flydragon annuals would be great, give colour and won't disturb your bulbs.......

Fairygirl

Perennials are the answer. Loads to choose from - hardy Geraniums, Astilbes, Hostas, Heucheras and many more. All dependent on how much sun/shade the area gets. A sunnier site can use Lychnis, Heleniums, Achilleas, Astrantias etc.
Easy to put in, even with bulbs there. Small, healthy plants can be planted just now. 

theend00

Thank you for responding all  !

Annuals and low growing perennials then , and bluebells should be hardy enough to deal with the extra competition. Out of interest , which annuals did you choose to sow FlyDragon / Mary ? 

Thanks for the list Fairygirl ! , particularly for the hardy geraniums which have already seeded themselves here haha so it is a relief to know they're causing no damage . The ground is pretty good , dappled shade (6 hours or so sun in the afternoon) and quite moist. I haven't been gardening long so much of it is reclaimed ground , quite a lot of insects and worms and sadly some long buried rubbish and bindweed rhizomes . 

FlyDragon

theend00 said:

Thank you for responding all  !

Annuals and low growing perennials then , and bluebells should be hardy enough to deal with the extra competition. Out of interest , which annuals did you choose to sow FlyDragon / Mary ? 

This year I've done nasturtiums (which are incredibly easy to grow and the bees love them), marigolds, salvias and petunias. 

Last year I had osteospermums, pelargoniums and a couple of others I can't remember, sorry!  

The good thing about annuals is you can keep trying different stuff each year, and I don't have to feel too bad about the environmental impact as mine are either grown from seed at home or grown by the guys at the allotments, so no intensive hothousing.