Camassia 'Blue Heaven' (Camas) is a bulbous perennial with long racemes of up to 100 star-shaped, pale blue flowers, adorned with 6 showy tepals, a green center, and bright yellow stamens. Borne on stout, willowy stems, they open sequentially from bottom to top for a long-lasting display. Blooming in late spring to early summer, they rise atop a foliage clump of linear green leaves.

Camassia cusickii (Cusick's Camass) is a bulbous perennial with long racemes of 30 to 100 star-shaped, pale blue flowers, adorned with 6 showy tepals, a green center, and bright yellow stamens. Borne on stout, willowy stems, they open sequentially from bottom to top for a long-lasting display. Blooming in late spring to early summer, they rise atop a foliage clump of long, linear, wavy-margined, mid-green leaves. A striking feature in the garden, this useful bulb adds something different to the borders at a time when the summer perennials have not yet hit their stride.

Camassia leichtlinii 'Alba' (Camas) is a bulbous perennial with tall spires packed with dozens of star-shaped, creamy-white flowers. Each flower has 6 showy tepals, a green center, and attractive purple stamens. Borne on stout, willowy stems, they open sequentially from bottom to top for a long-lasting display. Blooming in late spring to early summer, they rise atop a foliage clump of narrow leaves.

Camassia leichtlinii 'Blue Danube' (Camas) is a bulbous perennial with racemes of 20 to 80 lavender-blue, star-shaped flowers. Each flower has 6 showy petal-like tepals and attractive yellow stamens. Borne on stout, willowy stems, they open sequentially from bottom to top for a long-lasting display. Blooming in late spring to early summer, they rise atop the foliage clump of linear, strap-shaped leaves.

Camassia quamash 'Blue Melody' (Camas) is a bulbous perennial with upright racemes packed with dozens of star-shaped, dark blue flowers, adorned with 6 showy tepals, a green center and bright yellow stamens. Borne on stout, willowy stems, they open sequentially from bottom to top for a long-lasting display. Blooming in late spring to early summer, they rise atop a pretty foliage clump of variegated, long, narrow basal, creamy-edge leaves.

A sampling of top-performing bulbs that can be counted upon to perennialize -- and, if happy where you plant them, will most likely naturalize, too, to come back to bloom for years.

Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus: these are the spring bloomers everyone knows. But there are hundreds of other, lesser-known beauties to plant in fall. Some are small and delicate, others tall and ungainly. All are fabulous. Wait till you see them!

Although tulips look fabulous when planted in large drifts, they look even better when combined with other flowering bulbs, annuals, or perennials. Here are some lovely combination ideas that are easy to replicate in your garden.