I bought giant alliums to plant this fall too. I've seen them in several public gardens and from what I've observed the answer is yes, they do stand that tall without staking.

Not all tulips are perennial or will come back a second or third year. I don't bother with them anymore because I find they're a lot of work for very little reward but that's a personal choice. Some do come back year after year but I've not had much luck finding them.

I absolutely love allium. They are reliable for me, last forever, and yes, they truly need no staking. I now just buy the biggest varieties though.
When there are no blooms, the leaves are too grass-like and succumb to my over zealous weeding.

If you like allium, try pairing them with muscari. They too are hardy, multiple prolifically and don't look so much like grass that they are a perceived threat in my perennial beds. The blooms also last a long time and will often return in fall.

I've never seen anyone dig up their tulips once planted. Dahlias and glads - yes, tulips - no. They usually just go dormant and disappear into the soil again until next spring. Mind you, I don't always find tulips come back reliably and the more exotic species (and the priciest!) tend to return to type - so I rarely buy them anymore. I like them still but I want more bang for my buck...

In re the tulips ... i recall that every fall it was sort of "time" to pick out my tulip bulbs. I loved a pale pink double tulip called Angelique, but if looked blah from far away. So next year I chose something else. I'm pretty sure it was an annual ritual and pretty sure they were the exotic hybrids...

thanks about the Allium --- really looking forward to them!

Related question.

So. I am planting tulips in amongst an existing bed. This is my first year on this property and the bed is just a mass of stuff I bought last spring.

The bed has (back to front) boxwood, rhododendron, hydrangea, im not sure what but kind of a lavender daisy, and then, not blooming, i think it is called pinks but they are white (right along the edge of the bed).

So if i put in bulbs now, there is not much room. When they come up, i know the rhododendron and the boxwood will look fine, what about hydrangea? I cant recall what they look like in spring. Is there enough room to plant tulips?

Pics below:
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Hi mtnrdredux,

Some tulips are more perennial than others... The Darwin tulips are more likely to come back the next year, and also the tulips that are closer to the wild versions, for example, Kaufmanniana, Fosteriana, and Greiggi are more likely to come back the next year, too.

Tulips really like to be dry in the summer, so if you plant them in a bed that gets regular watering all summer, they are more likely to rot and not come back.

That is a lovely garden and walkway in the picture. You are right, some spring flowering bulbs would extend the garden's season earlier into the spring. Tulips, narcissus (have you considered the fragrant kinds? Yum!) primroses, crocus, dwarf iris, maybe even a couple hellebores would go well there. From what I can see, the boxwood and rhododendron are the only plants that are evergreen in that garden, so having some flowers to look at while you wait for the other plants to leaf out is a great idea.

Lois in PA

Thanks, Lois. For all intents and purposes, between the fact that the bed in sprinklered and the tulips i like are a hybrid that the grower implies are NOT perennial, I will assume my tulips are a one-shot deal.

I am intrigued by the other plants you mention --- i dont see where I have the room to plant? And, where you are, what do hydrangea look like when tulips are in bloom?

thanks!