Better Homes And Gardens Scent Bulbs

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We asked what your favorite spring-blooming bulbs are. Here are your responses.

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Daffodil

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What says spring more than a cheery yellow daffodil? It's no wonder daffodils received the most votes and are your #1 spring bulb. Not only are they beautiful, but daffodils are some of the lowest-maintenance bulbs there are.

Name: Narcissus selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: From 4 to 24 inches tall

Zones: 3-9, depending on type

Native to North America: No

See our gallery of top daffodils

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Tulip

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Tulips were voted second place. The queen of spring-flowering bulbs, few other early-season plants offer the variety of sizes, shapes, and colors of tulips. There's a tulip for almost every gardener.

Name: Tulipa selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: From 4 to 36 inches tall

Zones: 3-7, depending on type

Native to North America: No

See our gallery of favorite tulips

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Hyacinth

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It's tough to beat hyacinth's sweet fragrance in spring, and that's probably why it received third place. Hyacinths offer shades of purple, blue, pink, red, and white and many are easy to force.

Name: Hyacinthus selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 1 foot tall

Zones: 4-8

Native to North America: No

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Crocus

Crocus vernus 'Jeanne d'Arc'

One of the first flowers to usher in spring, crocuses offer charming, cup-shape blooms in colorful shades of yellow, orange, purple, blue, and white. Their small size makes them easy to tuck into lawns, along pathways, or at the front of the border. They tied for fourth place.

Name: Crocus selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: Zones 3-9, depending on species

Native to North America: No

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Grape Hyacinth

grape hyacinth Muscari armeniacum

Grape hyacinths are a top pick for beautiful shades of blue and purple in the spring garden. These little beauties are ultra-easy to grow. And thanks to plant breeders, there's a bigger variety now than ever before (including a stunning yellow variety with an outstanding fragrance). Grape hyacinth tied with crocus for fourth place as your favorite bulb.

Name: Muscari selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 8 inches tall

Zones: 3-9, depending on type

Native to North America: No

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Allium

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Though it's the big, bold lollipop types that most gardeners are familiar with, the allium family is huge and offers gardeners a great mix of plant sizes, shapes, and colors. The fifth-place vote getter, alliums are loved for their beauty and pest-free nature.

Name: Allium selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: From 6 inches to 4 feet tall

Zones: 3-10, depending on type

Native to North America: Depends on type

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Siberian Squill

Squill

We have to admit this is one of our favorites. Siberian squill came in sixth place thanks to its easy-growing ways and incredible blue color. It's spring's finest blue hue -- and an incredibly versatile bulb to boot. It grows just about anywhere.

Name: Scilla sibirica

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 8 inches tall

Zones: 4-8

Native to North America: No

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Crown Imperial

Crown imperial Fritillaria imperialis

With a name like this, you know it has to be a regal plant. Crown imperials offer a beautiful cluster of downward-facing flowers in warm, tropical-shirt shades. They're topped by a playful tuft of leaves. Though beautiful and dramatic, they're also a bit odiferous -- which could be why they were only in seventh place.

Name: Fritillaria imperialis

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 feet tall

Zones: 5-9

Native to North America: No

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Snowdrop

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Like graceful white butterflies, snowdrops have incredibly elegant little flowers that are so white they're almost translucent when backlit. These small bulbs earned eighth place in our survey and can be used just about anywhere in the landscape -- including naturalized in the lawn.

Name: Galanthus nivalis

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: 3-9

Native to North America: No

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Anemone

magenta Anemones

Graceful and charming little bulbs, anemones look like little spring daisies, popping up cheerfully from ferny foliage. They bloom in springy shades of pink, white, and blue -- and tuck well into virtually every garden. They're underused, but great picks that deserve more attention. Anemones came in ninth place.

Name: Anemone blanda selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: 4-8

Native to North America: No

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Freesia

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Finicky, fragrant, and fabulous, warm-season gardeners love freesias for their beautiful blooms. Freesias grow well in containers and can be forced for summertime bloom in cooler regions. Freesias came in tenth place.

Name: Freesia selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: From 6 to 24 inches tall

Zones: 10-11

Native to North America: No

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