Among the big bulbs are daffodils. If I were just starting out I'd buy small packages of a bunch of different kinds and keep the labels over the winter. The reason you should keep the labels is there is no way to know from the pictures which ones you will end up liking, and because foliage is so long lasting, big plantings spend more time ugly than in bloom. For me their worth it, because ones like thallia and poet's narcissus are so flat out beautiful, I wouldn't be without then, plus deer won't touch them. All of the minor bulbs are worth trying, like siberian squill and snow drops, and a dozen others. Avoid grape hyacinth, no matter how good the photos look. You get tons a foliage that won't quit ever, and it will be with you until the day you die or move. The only other advice is don't plant any bulbs where water tends to stand, since water will kill most bulbs even quicker than deer. And another thing, don't give up. It takes year to discover what is both pleasing and will grow in your yard. Every yard is different, and gardener is in some sense always a beginner, even in their 90th year.

Check out this web page on squill! I've never planted it, so I can't comment personally, but apparently it can take over your garden.

http://www.mailbag.com/users/mnofsing/scilla.html

Here is a link that might be useful: The Menace of Siberian Squill

Hello all...I am wondering as a newbie gardener...are the deer going to eat up all my emerging bulbs no matter what I do unless they happen to be the ones they don't like.???YIKES!

I like Grape Hyacinths, and I find the foliage is not large and mostly hidden by other plants. Deer and other varmints will leave it alone, which is good for me. I dont have deer but I do have a large pack of rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks.

So my suggestion is Daffodils for large bulbs and grape hyacinths for small.

Funny how plants act. Scilla siberica does not multiply here enough. The soil is extremely well drained, sandy and acid. I have a plant called 'star of bethlehem', do not recall the scientific name. It would be an invasive pest. I have it where it cannot get into other areas of the garden. Mentioned, while in Maine, buying some bulbs I did not see locally, that daffodils are usually safe. A gardener buying plants at the same time said squirrels had eaten all hers. First time I ever heard anyone complain about daffodils. Also have never had a problem with any animals bothering grape hyacinths or the Scilla called 'English Blue Bells'. Scilla hispanica? Or the late winter flowering Crocus thomasiniana, if thats its proper name.

Star-of-Bethlehem is the same as a snowdrop, and I can't get any to grow! That is funny. I have compacted, clayey soil (if you can call it soil, since it's nearly impossible to shovel and doesn't absorb water). It's hard to believe we live in the same small state, with such different growing conditions.

Saw my first robin this morning, hopping thru the snow.

Here is a link that might be useful: Star of Bethlehem, Snowdrop, Nap at Noon

Once again, confusion resulting from common names. Ladychroe, snowdrop is the common name most often given to Galanthus nivalis. This is an early-flowering little bulb. It has a single nodding flower, with three outer petals surrounding a central tube. The flower is white, and the central tube has a green marking at the opening.

Star of Bethlehem is the common name most often given to Ornithogalum umbellatum. It has an upward facing, 6-petalled white flower with a green stripe on the outside of each petal, several flowers to each stem. It flowers a couple of months later in the spring than Galanthus. Ornithogalum umbellatum is very prolific, invasively so.

Hope this has clarified things for you.

Happy gardening.

Into the Woods

I have planted about 500 daffs in the six years I have been in this property. However, we have largely rustic type woods and field gardens, so the length of time it takes for the foliage to ripen off doesn't bother me. By planting early sensation you can see flowers very early, and have a variety that will be in bloom until May. They are pest free and they multiply and they are so very welcome in the spring. Van Engelen and John Scheepers have good bulbs and very good prices, but I have also been very satisfied with my Home depot daffs. Good luck.

if you have densely shaded areas, try spanish bluebells, Hyacinthoides hispanica. the bloom reliably, are fragrant and nothing eats them. i have a big stand of them under the skirts of spruce trees -- on the north side.

windflower, anemona blanda, blooms now (late april early may) with shiny daisy-type flowers. it comes in white, blue and pink. very pretty. no predation.

can't say i've been impressed with camassia, but it is one of the few bulbs that takes damp soil. no one has eaten it, either.

tulips and lilies are my favorites, but these cannot be grown without protection, i.e., fencing. i never thought i'd be able to keep the voles out of my crocus, but i've had very good success planting them in the open PROVIDING you lace the planting hole and top dress it with crushed oyster shell. it's very sharp and the critters won't dig in it.