Anyone who still doubts the virtues of flower bulbs will be glad to hear about bulbs that naturalize. Bulbs that naturalize make gardening a snap. Once planted, there's nothing left to do: these bulbs can stay right where they are and produce flowers year after year. What could be better? Well, you even get more flowers year after year! This is because bulbs produce new little bulbs, and many even produce seeds. It's like getting freebies for your garden.

Must-haves

These bulbs are real must-haves that add something really special to the garden, patio and balcony. Over thousands of years, they have evolved to survive the harshest conditions of nature. So, for these super-hardy bulbous plants, life in a garden (even without help from the gardener!) is a luxury existence. After flowering, these bulbs continue their growth below the ground surface and simply emerge again in the next year. And that's what makes them so delightful.

Things to know about bulbs that naturalize

• Bulbs that naturalize require little care; they are especially nice if you want lots of pleasure for little work.
• Plant these kinds of bulbs where they will not be disturbed by spading. This will result in more flowers to enjoy.
• They will attract insects, too - bumblebees are frequent visitors. Even at a time when almost nothing else is in bloom, these early bulbous plants are already providing enough nectar.
• Bulbs that naturalize are perfect for existing plantings. Plant them, for example, in among groundcovers under trees and shrubs. Daffodils, Scilla and spring snowflakes (Leucojum) in soft pastels and white really add so much.

Difficult decisions

There are so many kinds of bulbs for naturalizing that it can be hard to decide which ones to use, so here is a list of what we think are the 10 nicest ones. For the sake of convenience, the number of bulbs to plant per square meter is also given.

1. Blue or white grape hyacinths - Muscari (40)
2. Jonquils (Polyanthus Daffodils) - (30-40)
3. Scilla's (King of the Blues) - Bluebells (35)
4. Dwarf iris - Iris reticuluata (25)
5. Ixias - (50 - 60)
6. Sparaxis - (50 - 60)
7. Dutch Irises - (40)
8. Crocus - Crocus (50)
9. Freesias - (40)
10. Mini daffodils - Narcissus (30)