Over the summer and fall, mow the naturalized bulb bed a few times to remove plants that will compete with bulbs for water and nutrients.

Deciduous trees with deep taproots are better companions for naturalized plantings than trees with shallow, spreading roots.

To naturalize bulbs in your lawn, choose bulbs that blossom and fade before grass grows vigorously and requires mowing: crocus, winter aconite, snowdrops, and scilla.

Photography by Suzanne DeJohn/National Gardening Association