My daughter loves tulips and I promised her that we would plant some this fall for next spring. For her, this means bright red or yellow and the bigger the better.

While I admire big tulips like 'Red Impression' and love the fragrance and color of 'Apricot Beauty,' I also like some of the smaller species types that are easy to tuck into the perennial or rock garden. Not only do they take up less space, many are easy to force or grow in containers and some will perennialize in the garden, offering years of beauty.

McMahan's Nursery (ENLARGE)

Tulipa turkestanica

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At McMahan's Nursery in Gainesville, Ga., you can purchase some of these bulbs in pots this spring. Favorites of theirs include Tulipa 'Peppermint Stick,' with its narrow petals of red and white that is reminiscent of a peppermint stick; and Tulipa clusiana 'Tubergen's Gem' with petals that are red on the outside and bright yellow on the inside. This tulip only grows 8 inches to 10 inches tall. Tulipa turkestanica is a fragrant multi-flowering selection that has white petals with an orange center and grows 6 inches to 8 inches tall.

One that I have grown in the past and still like is Tulipa 'Lady Jane. It grows 8 inches to 10 inches tall and blooms in mid- to late spring. The rose red petals have a white edge, giving it a striped effect but when it's open, it displays a bright white interior.

Another tiny gem is Tulipa bakeri 'Lilac Wonder' with lilac petals and a yellow center grows 6 inches to 8 inches tall and provides a colorful companion for small yellow daffodils and silver leaved plants like Stachys byzantina or lavender. Colorful partners for these charming tulips include mid- to late season daffodils, anemones and hyacinths.

Other interesting bulbs to consider adding to your garden for late spring and early summer color include ornamental onions, known as Alliums.

Allium christophii has big, baseball-sized heads of stary, silvery amethyst flowers which add an architectural element to the garden. It grows 12 inches to 20 inches tall and looks good with other perennials or groundcovers like Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' with its chartreuse-colored foliage.

Allium giganteum has flowerheads, made up of lilac purple florets, the size of a baseball and grows 40 inches to 48 inches tall. Plant it among other perennials to help mask the foliage as it ripens and flowers are long gone.

In mid-summer, the drumstick allium, Allium sphaerocephalon produces small dark purple/maroon flowers the size of a quarter. Combine it with yellow, orange or red daylilies, Asiatic lilies or Crinum lilies. It is also a candidate for naturalizing.

One of the most unusual alliums is Allium shubertii with spidery rose purple heads the size of a volleyball to a beach ball. Growing 12 inches to 24 inches tall, even a small group of these will stop people in their tracks.

There are many different alliums to choose from in different sizes and colors including white, yellow, blue, purple and maroon.

With some thought, you can orchestrate a concert of blooming bulbs from early spring through late summer.

ERICA'S PICK

Tulip

Botanical name: Tulipa turkestanica

About the plant: This heirloom, which dates to 1875, is still a charmer today growing only 6 inches to 8 inches tall. The fragrant star-like flowers have white petals with a yellow-orange center.

Use in the garden: Plant this bulb in the rock garden, or at the front of the perennial border. Combine it with other spring bulbs like daffodils and tulips for a progression of blooms in spring.

Planting and care: Plant this bulb in full sun in a well-drained soil.

Source: McMahan's Nursery, 5727 Cleveland Highway, Clermont, GA 30527, 770-267-4500

Mail order: www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com

Erica Glasener is a horticulturist and host of "A Gardener's Diary," which airs on HGTV Thursdays at 7 a.m.