How To: Buying Bulbs: Number of Bulbs to Buy
The key to a beautiful bulb flower bed is lots and lots of bulbs. Following is a general idea of the number of bulbs you should buy per square feet of flower bed size.
| Bulb Bed Size in Square Feet | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 |
| Anemone, Crocus, Muscari, or Scilla | 200 | 500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Daffodil (large) | 75 | 205 | 420 | 1,100 |
| Daffodil (small) | 140 | 340 | 675 | 1,350 |
| Tulip (large) | 65 | 180 | 360 | 725 |
| Tulip (species) | 75 | 205 | 420 | 1,100 |
Planting one straight row of evenly spaced bulbs often looks sparse. Planting in quantity in non-linear patterns will always give a richer appearance. This is why mass planting has always been the traditional way to use bulbs. Mass plantings can include dozens or even hundreds of bulbs – especially if you do a naturalizing project. If you don’t have room for mass planting, or need to start small, a reliable way is to plant in clumps of 6 or more bulbs. This is a very attractive method for hyacinths, daffodils and tulips. In the clump, space your bulbs about 4 or more inches apart. If you are ready to try true mass planting, here are some general guidelines for spacing:
| BULB | SPACING (in.) | BULBS PER SQ FT |
| Daffodil & Hyacinth | 6 | 4-5 |
| Crocus | 3 | 8-12 |
| Tulip (normal spacing) | 6 | 5 |
| Tulip (dense spacing) | 4 | 9 |
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