Making little big

We’ve got at least six weeks left before we can’t force our shovel into frozen gardens, so let’s make little big for next spring.

Small bulbs planted in groups can deliver a big impact and an extra bonus is their dependability. Most naturalize and continue to multiply over the years.

Crocus, of course, are the first bulbs that come to mind when thinking of tiny gems. A novelty crocus to add to your property is saffron (crocus sativus). Saffron first made its mark as a spice, an aromatic oil, coloring pigment and flavoring agent several thousands years ago. The treasured pollen is collected from its three dark-red pistols.

Spain is the main producer of saffron and grows the bulbs in a soil rich in lime and quartz. It takes 75,000 blossoms to produce just one pound of commercial-grade saffron.

Muscari or grape hyacinths used to only be available in a brilliant cobalt blue. Now there are cultivars from pure white to pale blue, sapphire blue edged in white, reddish-violet, midnight blue, soft yellow and lavender, mahogany-purple, and, now, even golden yellow topped with purple. You could think of muscari as a rejuvenated old-timer. It’s a great one for creating a carpet of colour.

Puschkinia is a pretty, delicate-looking species with bluish-white sprays of flowers on six-inch tall stems. It’s also known as striped or lebanese squill and is ideally suited for naturalizing in lawns or beneath shrubs.

The anemone has the lovely common name of windflower because of the way its daisy-like petals flutter in the breeze. These are fuss-free bulbs and the blooms, which come in a wide array of colours, are complemented by ferny foliage.

Although Frittillaria might make you think of those chunky blueberry and apple doughnuts at Tim Hortons, in the bulb world the name (f. meleagris) applies to a nifty little bulb with checkered reddish-brown, purple, white and gray-petalled flowers that dangle from short stems. This bulb prefers cool, shady locations.

One of my favorites is the wood hyacinth, the white form of which is sometimes mistaken for lily-of-the-valley. The latter has leaves that are more upright and sword-like and possess an unmistakable fragrance. Wood hyacinth come in pink and blue and can also form large colonies within a relatively short time. They are one of the first flowers available for those early spring bouquets.