Sorry, Judy, but I have to disagree on a couple of points. Please note that the high elevation sunlight of the continental western US creates much different effects than are seen on the coasts, or in locations where water vapor waters down color. As I design gardens for myself and for others I've played with some color combinations that might be considered unusual. Contrary to Judy's statement that "A border entirely of equal amounts of true blue and saturated orange is harsh," I've found that a border of lavender, purple, bluish lavender mixed with bright yellow and orange is together. I'm still playing with this border, but one successful example is Scutellaria baicalensis with Happlopappus croceus, two perennials with brightly-colored flowers and a combination of which I have slides for a talk on use of native plants in the garden. Again, contrary to Judy's statement "Colors next to each other on the color wheel relate harmoniously," I've found them to clash horribly! For instance, red on the orange side clashes horribly with red on the bluish side (e.g., Penstemon cardinalis and Penstemon pinifolius), as does yellow on the golden side with yellow on the golden side with true, buttercup, or sulfur yellow (e.g., Coreopsis grandiflorus 'Sunray' and Achillea x 'Moonshine') On the other hand, if I keep flowers in the range of golden yellow, orange, and scarlet red, the resulting 'hot' border is spectacular. One of the most profound influences on how I use color was the book Color Echoes by Pamela Harper. Although primarily a practical approach rather than a treatise on color theory, the ideas in this book changed the way I look at, and use, color. I've come up with some wonderful combinations of which I'm quite proud!. :-) As many of you know, I've spent lots of time wandering around the mountains and deserts. In my wanderings, I've found some incredible vignettes and wide expanses from which I have learned that nature is still the best gardener, and one that we can only approximate. I realize that this posting doesn't mention bulbs specifically, but my experience certainly applies to any plants used in a garden. - Barbara Leaf and Stone Barbara L. Weintraub 20 Estambre Road Santa Fe, NM 87508-8769 6640 feet elevation nominally USDA zone 5b/6a blweintraub1@earthlink.net