Dear All: Unless one has a garden where bulbs are featured in a landscape, such as Keukenhof, bulbs, in my opinion, are best used to compliment existing plantings, not be counted upon to be the only plants to provide color at any given season but to provide additional interest. Mass plantings of evergreen bulbs, Agapanthus, Dieties, Hemercallis, can stand alone in a bed and provide permanent plantings, but if the bulbs loose their foliage, a void during certain periods of the year is not attractive. True, parks such as Mitchel Park in Durban, various city parks in England and elsewhere use bulbs to add color and interest, they are correctly used to add interest to the area but used in conjunction with other plants, pansies, Forget-me-not, being more of less classic examples. In my opinion using Hyacinthoides to augment the color of a border of Azaleas, or planted to naturalize under deciduous trees, Crocus in lawn areas and Narcissus planted to naturalize are great examples of using bulbs effectively in the landscape. But the genera that can be used in such ways, is rather limited and demanding of a good space being available. It is a different story when one considers the overall landscape of the majority of gardens. In such cases, Lilies to prolong the flowering period among spring flowering shrubs, bold clumps to give periods of color among established plantings of other plants, Eranthis to give early spring color and providing color contrasts with the colored stems of Japanese Maples when the Maples are without leaves, Cyclamen to provide groundcover interest in the fall and early winter in shady spots, are good examples of the effective use of bulbs in the landscape. In such situations they excel and contribute greatly to the landscape combining with other plants to increase interest, color and pleasure. Simply planted without other plants, such are not as effective. Gladiolus planted among summer flowering annuals add much with their foliage and flowers, contrasting well WITH the other plants. They are then much more effective than by themselves. Landscaping with bulbs is then, again in my opinion, most effective when viewed with other, perhaps more permanent denizens of the garden. Finding such combinations is a pleasure and a challenge. The number of the bulbs planted in groupings means being cognizant of the scale of the landscape in which they are to perform. On a small scale perhaps 9 bulbs will make a significant splash, in other larger areas to be in scale and contribute, as such will need to be appreciated from a distance, perhaps 90 will be needed. Scale must be remembered, such will dictate the size of plantings. There are exceptions, Cardiocrinum giganteum can stand alone almost as specimen plants, but such is not the rule for the majority of bulbs, scale is a factor that must be kept in mind in any landscape. Perhaps thinking of bulbs as providing points of interest, contributing to the overall interest of the garden, and the size of plantings being in scale is a basic ingredient, essential factor, when using bulbs in the landscape. Cheers, John E. Bryan