Summer bulbs are a perfect fit for verges. With their long flowering period and vibrant colours, they offer a real quality boost to the green city. In multi-coloured verges, different types of summer bulbs can be found, mixed together or combined with other plants. This type of planting is anything but boring for passers-by. What’s more: it boosts biodiversity at the same time.

Bee & butterfly magnets

One of the most widely sold summer bulbs is the Dahlia. Available in almost any flower colour and a variety of shapes, these bulbs deserve a place in a colourful verge. Dark-leaved varieties are also a nice addition. Single and semi-double dahlias are incredibly rich in nectar and pollen, so they attract masses of bees and butterflies. They will continue to flower with gusto until the first frost.

Seed pods

Crocosmia (previously also known as Montbretia) is a summer bulb that is growing in popularity. Not only is it a good honey plant that effortlessly naturalises, its long flowering time is another plus. The trumpet-shaped bright-orange, red or yellow flowers grow on airy spikes. With their fiery colours, they are very suitable for multi-coloured roadsides. After flowering, the seed pods continue to be a beautiful decoration in verges. Combines well with other summer bulbs, and with perennials such as Verbena bonariensis (purpletop vervain) and Kniphofia (red-hot pokers).

A sight for sore eyes

Other melliferous plants among summer bulbs that thrive in multi-coloured roadsides include Liatris spicata (dense blazing star), Anemone coronaria (poppy anemone), Iris hollandica (Dutch iris), dwarf gladiolus (Gladiolus nanus) and Abyssinian gladiolus (Gladiolus callianthus ‘Murielae’). They are a sight for sore eyes and provide a varied and long-lasting food banquet for insects.

Practical

• Except for the Dahlia, all the summer bulbs listed here are perennials; they will flower every year.
• The planting period for summer bulbs is after the last frost until the end of May.
• Ready-made landscape mixes are available, but they can also be customised.
• The guideline for planting under grass (there are special planting machines for this purpose) is 200 summer bulbs per m² or, combined with perennials, 60 per m².