A bed that takes sun from morning to evening heats up fast, dries out at the edges and bleaches pale colours by midday. In spring the light is strong but the soil is still cool and the border is mostly bare, so the scheme has to supply both early ground-level colour and something with enough bulk to carry the eye once the bulbs fade. The answer is a layered planting: deep-rooted perennials at the back, sun-loving evergreen structure in the middle, and a dense skirt of bulbs and low growers at the front.
From back to front: Peony, Beardtongue, French lavender, Tulip, Hyacinth, Grape hyacinth, Strawberry plant.
Peony is the anchor of the back row, pushing up red-tinted shoots in early spring and opening its heavy, scented bowls of flower in late spring, just as the bulbs are going over. The glossy divided foliage stays presentable all summer, which matters in a bed this exposed. Give it the sunniest, least crowded strip you have, since it resents competition at the root and dislikes being moved once settled.
Beardtongue fills the gap directly in front, with upright stems of tubular bells that begin in late spring and keep going for months. The narrow leaves and slim flower spikes read as vertical texture against the rounder mass of Peony behind. It copes well with heat and sharp drainage, so it suits the drier middle of a full-sun bed.
French lavender brings grey evergreen foliage that holds the bed together through winter and flowers earlier than most lavenders, with its tufted, eared blooms arriving in spring. Plant it in a run through the middle to separate the tall perennials from the bulb layer at the front. It wants free-draining soil and full exposure, and it will sulk in any pocket that stays wet.
Tulip is the main spring event, rising through the front and middle of the bed in clean upright columns of colour before the perennials have made any real height. Choose a single colour family so the planting looks deliberate rather than scattered. Its fading leaves are untidy, but the emerging Beardtongue and French lavender conveniently screen them.
Hyacinth works just in front of Tulip, flowering slightly earlier and adding dense, waxy spikes and strong scent at nose height when you bend over the bed. The solid, chunky shape contrasts well with the slimmer Tulip stems. In full sun it opens quickly and holds its colour, so plant it in groups rather than lines.
Grape hyacinth is the low blue carpet that ties the whole front edge together, flowering early and generously before anything else is awake. Its small, tight spikes make a mat of colour that stops the taller bulbs looking like isolated soldiers. It multiplies freely in sun and well-drained ground, so expect the drift to thicken year on year.
Strawberry plant edges the very front, with white spring flowers, bright trifoliate leaves and the bonus of fruit later on. The running habit knits the soil surface together, keeping it cooler and suppressing weeds between the bulbs. It stays low enough never to hide Grape hyacinth behind it.
Work in bands. Set three Peony at the back, 90 cm apart, then a row of five to seven Beardtongue about 45 cm apart just in front of them. Run three to five French lavender through the middle at 60 cm spacing, offsetting them from the Beardtongue so nothing lines up. In the front third, plant Tulip in groups of seven to ten bulbs, 10 cm apart and 15 cm deep, with clusters of five to seven Hyacinth between them. Finish with broad drifts of Grape hyacinth, 5 to 8 cm apart in loose sweeps, and a continuous edge of Strawberry plant at 30 cm spacing along the front.
From late winter the grey mounds of French lavender and the evergreen edge of Strawberry plant keep the bed furnished. Early spring belongs to Grape hyacinth and Hyacinth, then Tulip takes over, and by late spring French lavender and Peony are in full flower with the first Beardtongue spikes opening. Through summer, Beardtongue carries the colour while Peony foliage holds the back, and Strawberry plant fruits at your feet. In autumn and winter the bed quietens to foliage and shape, which is exactly when the evergreen middle layer earns its place.
