I usually use annuals like petunias or 30-36 inch snapdragons toward the garden bed edges. I try to position spring bulbs in sections that are viewable when blooming, but covered by taller perennials later in the spring/summer. I plant peonies in the corners and then cut back the greens on the peonies to nicely shape the bushes. The bushes are still pretty and stay green all season, and they cover up the dying bulbs. I try to keep the outside of the bed open to put annuals, thereby covering up the dying foliage of the spring bulbs. I also interplant allium (I call them the purple pom-pom flowers). They bloom later than the early spring bulbs and cover up the drying foliage nicely. Along the sunny edge of the bed I plant iris since they need to have the sun shining on the rhizomes to bloom.

Good idea to take care of it while you can still see the dying foliage - on several occasions I have been surprised by a tulip or daffodil growing out of the middle of my perennials! :)

Hostas!

I have been wondering about this in relation to my bleeding heart. I'd like to add more bleeding hearts, but I wonder if there is another plant I can pair with them. The scene I imagine is a plant, annual or perennial, that would grow taller while the bleeding heart is blooming, gets taller than BH and begins to bloom just as the foilage starts to die back. Hopefully this would be a repeat bloomer that would last all summer. Is there anything that matches this?

Well, at my old house, I had grape hyacinths interplanted with my lavender. Every year, I would cut back the lavender just as the grape hyacinth foliage was emerging. They would bloom, then get nicely covered by the lavender. I took some to the new house, and I'm not as happy with where they are now - the foliage is too conspicuous right now for my taste.

I had daffodils further back in that same border.

I'm considering planting bulbs in between my Russian sage, because it is awfully late to emerge and get going.

I planted pansies amongst clumps of yellowing tulips and daffodils. I planted alliums in between bushier plants so when the leaves begin to go yellow, the lollipops still pops above the foliage.

I also planted the tulips between blue sages and perennial cornflowers- and so as the tulips begin to die down, these 2 plants start to bloom rather heavily and easily disguise the any dying foliage. My delphiniums also begin blooming around this time.

I can't address exact bloom times because of the vast difference in zones, but what works for me are annuals seeded over spring bulbs
(fall seeding for me, early spring for you?)
-- larkspur, annual poppies, nicotiana.

Some beds have daylilies either in front of, or just behind the daffodils.
Following daffodils in one bed are black eyed susans with just a few white nicotiana, lilies, and daylilies behind.
Black eyed susans are followed by reseeding Madagascar periwinkle and perennial Mexican bush sage in another bed.

I strive for a succession of blooming plants from early spring to late fall. Sometimes I mark spaces of spring bulbs so
I can later plug in summer blooming bulbs like gladioli, and more shallow rooted annuals.

Nell

My bulb foliage gave out at least 3 weeks ago, so the summer perennials have disguised the remnants. I don't plant mine along the edges either. I have the daffs and bluebells interspersed. I got a little lazy with some of the bluebells and did a mass planting by digging a wide trench! That foliage is now raked away and you'd never know the bluebells were ever there. However, they are much too thickly planted to take any perennials amongst them. My mistake.

Cameron

I'll second the vote for hostas! I have hostas next to all of my daffodils and they really hide that foliage quite well.

Tracy