Think outside the box when choosing bulbs

Tulip, daffodil, crocus, ranunculus and hyacinth are the big five bulbs we use because they are prolific bloomers. But there are others with incredible colors, textures, shapes and sizes the top-sellers don't provide. Mull over the following:

People have a love or hate relationship when considering plants belonging to the onion and garlic family, but they are excitingly beautiful. Their reputation for producing unpleasant odors is overstated. They won't be a problem if you stop fussing with them and just enjoy the fragrant flowers.

Giant garlic is perhaps the most popular of the ornamental onions. It doesn't produce the largest flowers, but it's one of the tallest. Naked stems reach knee-high, then out pops a softball-sized purple flower head that is breathtaking. The blue-gray, strap-shaped, two-inches-wide and 18-inches-long foliage often turns brown after blooming, so plant it behind other plants to hide its base.

Anemone is low growing with masses of daisylike blue, pink or white flowers with bright yellow centers almost hiding the starburst-shaped foliage hugging the ground. Each bloom is about two inches across. Plant it under trees and shrubs or tuck it in among rocks for a more natural setting. Anemone rarely needs dividing, so you can forget them. If you are into pots, force it indoors as it blooms this winter. The foliage disappears quickly after blooming, so be ready to fill in with summer annuals.

Colchicum does well in outdoor gardens. We usually relegate it to informal plantings, but it has the great ability to bloom under tough growing conditions so it will make a marvelous gift for people without gardens. Place it on a windowsill or desk, and it will bloom with absolutely no care. Keep it out of direct sunlight.

Freesia often is grown solely for its fresh, sweet fragrance. Indeed, some say freesia has the finest scent of any flower. It has now been hybridized to produce larger flowers on long stems in a rainbow of colors and bicolors, and it is easy to grow.

Snowdrop gets ankle-high. Its dainty blossoms resemble drops of snow sitting on top of its low-growing foliage. Use snowdrop in flowerbeds or scatter it, but for the greatest effect, plant in masses.

We'll purchase thousands of amaryllis before Christmas either in bloom or potted and ready to produce those sensational blooms. Colors cover the spectrum in white, pink, orange, salmon, scarlet and dark red, and if that isn't enough, hybridizing brings us combinations beyond description. Naked stems arise almost overnight and then the real show begins as four to five blossoms unfold, each the width of your hand. Just as the show finishes, up comes another flowering stem.

Don't throw this beauty away after blooming. Instead, plant it outside. Give it some tender-loving care and prepare for masses of blooms next summer. I saw 24 mammoth flowers covering a plant planted after Christmas. One woman collects and plants these bulbs around her home. Because of the different microclimates, they bloom all summer.

Scilla is easy to grow and works well as a carpet plant in beds of spring tulips. It reaches ankle-high and bears clusters of three to five intense blue hyacinthlike blooms. They are the first to appear and they'll last through spring.

Tigridia has three large petals spread out from the cup to form a flower up to five inches across in colors ranging from white, to yellow, orange, scarlet, crimson and many bicolor. The showy flowers last a day, but others quickly replace them. Leaves are sword-shaped and pleated.

Zephyranth will win your heart because it blooms for so long and multiplies easily. It's a member of the amaryllis family and resembles crocus with one small flower per stem. This bulb has been hybridized, so you can get it in shades of white, yellow, pink, rose and apricot. Use it as edgings, in rock gardens or in small areas. Because of its size, plant it in clusters to get more effect.

MUM SALE

The Las Vegas Chrysanthemum Society will have its plant sale from 9 a.m. until sold out Saturday, at Plant World Nursery, 5301 W. Charleston Blvd. Members of the society have propagated a limited number of larger show plants for sale. Come early for the best selection. For more information, call 459-4633.

Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@ springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.