It's time again to plant those gorgeous spring-blooming bulbs.  This season, along with the huge tulips and daffodils, and carpets of crocuses, check out some of the smaller bulbs.  The variety of spring blooms that top out at about six inches tall is nearly endless.  You'll love these little faerie-sized flowers.

Tête à Tête are delightful miniature daffodils that will brighten even the dullest spring days. Just six inches tall, Tête à Tête bears an abundance of short-stemmed dangling flowers with golden-yellow outer petals that curl back to highlight deeper-yellow trumpets.  The radiant yellow flowers are produced freely and are perfect for patio pots, window boxes, rock gardens and borders, or for naturalizing in grassy areas. This beautiful little daffodil carries up to three flowers per stem.  The neat clusters of yellow trumpets make dainty cut flowers. Also try Rip Van Winkle, a miniature daffodil with spiky double golden flowers. It's been around for over 120 years!

In Holland, the cobalt blue spikes of grape hyacinths are as well known as the daffodils and tulips they bloom with. The long lasting flowers and long bloom season make the brilliant blue grape hyacinth (Muscari) a champ in the garden. Mass plantings are spectacular, especially when combined with other bulbs like the Tête à Tête daffodil. Count on these long-lasting cobalt blue flowers to lift cabin-fevered spirits.  Muscari also excels as the lower tier of color in double-decker plantings with taller yellow daffodils or tulips or any color. Muscari will naturalize easily in the lawn or garden, and at four to eight-inches tall, grape hyacinth flowers make a lovely addition to pots, rock gardens, and of course tiny bouquets.

Grecian windflowers (anemone) are low-growing early bloomers with long-lasting daisy-like flowers above a carpet of ferny foliage.  They come in white, pink or purplish-blue. Plant windflowers in single color blocks for waves of unbroken color, or select mixed color packages for a crazy quilt look. Try them en masse for a fabulous groundcover either on their own or under taller bulbs or emerging perennials.  They will twinkle anywhere they are planted, brightening the dreary days of early spring.

The delicate yet jaunty Narcissus Hawera is so special, that the experts jumped categories to include it in the Best of the Best Special Bulbs collection, according to the U.S. Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center. As tough as it is dainty, this little daffodil is great in containers, beds and naturalized settings.  At only eight inches tall, this tiny lemon-yellow daffodil makes up for its size by producing six to eight flowers on each stem.  Hawera will last for years in a sunny spot, gracing the early spring days with gorgeous color.

The adorably named Puschkinia (striped squill) is a six-inch-tall beauty with white flowers striped with shadings of grayish-blue was first discovered in the West Asia and the Caucasus in 1808 and has been cultivated in Holland ever since. It blooms early and for long periods of time. One of the few bulbs completely at home in partial shade, it is a great choice for planting under trees and shrubs.  Puschkinia's bell-shaped flowers will multiply freely, filling small flower beds in just a few short years.  The unique bluish-white color makes it a lovely addition to just about any garden setting.

The snowdrop is one of spring’s first sentinels, sometimes blooming right through the snow. The 10-inch stems of snowdrops are topped by dainty, nodding white flowers with a green spot at the tip of each petal. They flower so early that snowdrops-in-the-grass can easily be left to die back for six weeks (the time needed for most bulbs to recharge their stored energy to bloom again the following year). Plant these in rock gardens, gardens, under shrubs and in sweeps across the lawn. They look best in clusters, as does Lady Jane, a miniature tulip with the perfect combination of white and deep pink. Winter Aconite, with its bright yellow flowers, blooms right through the snow.

Plant lots of tiny flower bulbs this season, and treat yourself to oodles of finger-sized faerie-flower spring bouquets.

Lori Pelkowski, The Midnight Gardener, May all your weeds be dandelions from a child

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