The Planting Window Is Open and the Timing Could Not Be Better

Spring has arrived across most of the country, soil temperatures are climbing, and the conditions that Spring planted bulbs need to establish and perform well are falling into place right now. Getting corms and roots in the ground during this window, rather than waiting until the season feels more fully underway, gives every variety the longest possible runway to develop strong root systems before the heat of summer arrives. The result in July and August is measurably better than what a late planting produces, and the range of what is available to plant right now is broader than many gardeners realize.

Liatris: One of the Most Underrated Summer Bulbs Available

Liatris, commonly known as blazing star or gayfeather, is a North American native Perennial that earns a place in almost any summer garden and is genuinely one of the most versatile bulbs in the Nagel Glads catalog. Liatris Flower Bulbs produce tall, densely packed spikes of bright purple-magenta blooms that open from the top of the spike downward, which is the opposite of most flowering spikes and creates a distinctive visual effect in both the garden and the vase. Liatris performs in full sun with well-draining soil and is notably drought tolerant once established, making it a strong choice for gardeners in drier climates or anyone who wants reliable performance with minimal intervention through the summer. As a Perennial, it returns and expands each season, and it is one of the better known pollinator magnets among Summer flowering bulbs, attracting both bees and monarch butterflies throughout its bloom period.

Crocosmia: Bold Arching Color for Midsummer

Crocosmia is another Perennial corm that deserves far more attention than it typically receives outside of dedicated cutting gardens and professional landscape plantings. Red King Crocosmia Flower Bulbs produce arching stems with vivid scarlet-orange tubular blooms that emerge in Midsummer and continue for several weeks, providing a warm fiery color at exactly the point in the season when many Spring plantings have finished and the garden needs a fresh source of color. The arching stem structure is genuinely distinctive, creating a flowing, almost grasslike presence in the border that contrasts beautifully with the upright vertical lines of gladiolus planted nearby. Crocosmia naturalizes readily in warmer climates, spreading gradually over several seasons to form impressive clumps that produce more stems with each passing year.

Oriental Lilies: Height, Fragrance, and Late Summer Impact

Oriental Lilies occupy a slightly different space in the Summer garden than Gladiolus or Crocosmia, producing large, intensely fragrant blooms on tall sturdy stems from Midsummer into early Fall. Oriental Lily Bulbs are among the most dramatic flowering bulbs available for Summer planting, with bloom sizes that regularly reach six to eight inches across and a fragrance that carries well beyond the immediate planting area. They perform best in full sun to part shade with rich, well-draining soil and benefit from a layer of mulch at the base to keep roots cool through peak Summer heat. For cut flower growers, Oriental Lilies add a scale and fragrance dimension to summer arrangements that no other Summer bulb quite replicates. Planted now alongside Gladiolus successions, they extend the cutting garden's productive window into the later weeks of Summer when earlier plantings are winding down.

Asiatic Lilies for Earlier Color and Reliable Performance

Where Oriental Lilies bloom in mid to late Summer, Asiatic Lilies hit their peak earlier in the season and provide a bridge between the first Gladiolus successions and the fuller Midsummer display. Mixed Asiatic Lily Flower Bulbs are among the easiest Summer flowering bulbs to grow, tolerating a wider range of soil conditions than Oriental Lilies and producing upward-facing blooms in a broad range of warm and bright tones. They are excellent companions for early Gladiolus plantings in cutting gardens, producing usable stems at a similar time and adding a different bloom form and scale to mixed arrangements. Unlike Oriental Lilies, Asiatic Lilies are not fragrant, which makes them a practical choice for gardeners who want bold color without a strong scent in indoor arrangements.

Pairing These Bulbs for a Complete Summer Planting

The strongest Summer plantings combine species with different bloom forms, heights, and timing so that the overall display shifts and evolves across the season rather than peaking all at once and then going quiet. Asiatic Lilies and early Gladiolus successions open the Summer display. Liatris and Crocosmia come into their own at Midsummer, adding vertical spikes and arching color alongside later gladiolus rounds. Oriental Lilies carry the planting through into late Summer with large fragrant blooms that make the garden feel as full in August as it did in June. Mixed Gladiolus Flower Bulbs planted in succession throughout provide the consistent backbone that ties all of these bloom windows together across the full season.

Top 5 Bulbs to Get in the Ground Right Now

• Liatris Flower Bulbs for tall pollinator-friendly spikes that return each season
• Red King Crocosmia Flower Bulbs for arching Midsummer color in warm scarlet-orange
• Mixed Asiatic Lily Flower Bulbs for early season blooms in a wide range of bright tones
• Oriental Lily Bulbs for large fragrant late summer stems in the garden and the vase
• Mixed Gladiolus Flower Bulbs for succession planting that keeps the cutting garden producing all season

Now Is the Moment

Every week of delay between now and Midsummer is a week of establishment time that bulbs planted today will have and later plantings will not. The varieties available right now cover every part of the Summer season from early bloom through late, and getting a full range of species in the ground during this window is the most reliable path to a Summer garden that performs at its best from June through September. Browse the full range of Spring Planted Bulbs and build out a planting plan that covers the whole season from a single Spring order.