Plant lovers everywhere enjoy the variety of colours that flower bulbs bring to the spring season. These unusual flower bulbs look different and more exotic than the rest. Unconventional flower bulbs will have your garden, balcony or patio looking extra stunning. Do you want to have the most beautiful garden on the street next spring? Then plant these flower bulbs this autumn.
1. Sicilian honey lily
Sicilian honey lily, not to be confused with other ornamental onions or alliums, is an enchanting plant. This ornamental onion is an absolute giant, reaching up to a metre in height. Its flower buds hang before they blossom. When they bloom, these buds suddenly lift themselves up. The ornamental onion's colour lends the flowers an even more unusual look: green and white on the outside, while on the inside these colours are blended with red and yellow. Bees and butterflies also find them fascinating, attracted in droves to their nectar. Sicilian honey lily will thrive in full sun/half sun. Enjoy their magnificent flowers in June and July.
2. Fringed tulips
You may be wondering, 'Is this a cactus, or a tulip?' It is actually a fringed tulip. This tulip's petal edges are ruffled with charming serrations. Thankfully, the edges won't prick you. The tulip itself is extremely robust. Their 45 cm stems keep them standing strong and tall. Wherever you plant this tulip in your garden, on your balcony or patio, it will draw every eye. Sun or shade, it will grow and produce magnificent flowers. After planting the bulbs in autumn, they will come up in April and May. The pink blends seamlessly into the white and the serrated edges add a rugged touch to this soft tulip. Do you want more colour indoors? Simply snip a stem or two and put them in a vase.
3. Large-flowered crocus ‘Pickwick’
The crocus is actually an exception on this list because it isn't actually a flower bulb. It is a corm. A corm stores its food in the roots, unlike a flower bulb, which takes its food from the bulb itself. Still, we have put the crocus on the top-5 list of flower bulbs. This is because the 'Pickwick', at 15 cm, is a giant among crocuses. It reminds us of a purple and white striped zebra. This crocus heralds the arrival of spring in March and April. The crocus flowers anywhere and everywhere; sun or no sun. And best of all, you can enjoy its colours year after year.
4. Oxalis versicolor / Wood sorrel / Candy cane
Wood sorrel (oxalis versicolor) always reminds us a bit of a candy cane. Blame those red and white, cone-shaped flowers. But their centres have an unexpected yellow centre. Just like the crocus, wood sorrel is a corm. And is classified as a summer flowering plant. Forget about Christmas: this candy cane blooms, in full or half sun, in July to October. What else makes the wood sorrel eccentric? At just 10–20 cm tall, it's a short plant. The perfect flower for a pot on a garden table. Or plant it at the feet of the giant like the Sicilian honey lily.
5. Tiger lily
There is so much to say about this exotic tiger lily. You'll spot these flowers as soon as you enter your garden, thanks to their brilliant orange colour. Their contrasting black speckles make the tiger lily even more striking. The tiger lily looks like it's constantly standing tall against the wind, with its petals curving backwards and its stamens protruding forwards. The tiger lily can grow to quite a size, around 75–120 cm. Plant the lily in full sun or partial shade. Watch this exotic tiger appear slowly from July through to September, as if it were stalking its prey. Each stem produces 12 to 20 flowers. Leave the bulbs in the ground after flowering and they will simply reappear next year.
