New Flower Bed ideas

Sam76

Hi all,
Im starting a new flower bed. Have dug out the heavy clay & replaced it with stones, compost & well aged horse manure. Im planning on planting orange dynasty tulip bulbs & forget me nots for a nice display in April. Was wondering in terms of succession, what else we could put into the bed for May-time & beyond, after the tulips fade, and what would be the best way to do this? Thanks

K67

Depends on what you are wanting, shrubs or perennial flowers or annuals.
For shrubs  you would normally plant then first then your bulbs so you don't slice into them or end up with tulips growing in the middle of a shrub.
Annuals you could plant once the tulips have finished flowering, you can do this with perennials as well 
Tulips need to be planted deeply I plant mine at least 8 or 9 inches down.

Sam76

Probably thinking perennials. Could sow annuals & plant them out too. Going to add a bag of horticultural grit for drainage for the tulips too. Thanks!

Cambridgerose12

Well, as wonderful as tulips are, unfortunately there are hardly any that persist beyond about year 2 in outdoor conditions, and especially not when other plants are growing above them. Your best bet is to plant the tulips into bulb baskets which you then bury between your perennials once you've decided on those and put them in. That way, next November, you can dig up the baskets and replace the bulbs with fresh ones. The perennials will eventually grow together and make it hard to replace the bulbs. Alternatively, you could go for bedding plants that completely replace the spring display, digging up your bulbs after flowering and then putting in things like lobelias, pelargoniums and so on that will flower until the frosts.