12 Beautiful Bulbs Deer and Rabbits Don't Eat

One of the most recognizable bulbs, daffodil is also among the easiest to grow. Most gardeners know the cheery golden-flowering types, but keep an eye out for extra-special varieties that offer blooms in shades of orange, pink, red, and white, like these 'Romance' daffodils. Almost all pests will leave this bulb alone due to its pungent smell and toxic effects if injested.

Name: Narcissus selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size:  Up to 30 inches tall

Zones: 4-8

Buy It: Narcissus 'Dutch Master' ($18, White Flower Farm)

One of spring's most dramatic blooming bulbs, crown imperial looks a bit like a pineapple wearing a Hawaiian shirt: The colorful red, yellow, or orange flowers are topped by a crown of narrow, pointed leaves. All parts of crown imperial repel hungry critters and smell like skunk, so you may want to position this bulb at the back of the border.

Name: Fritillaria imperialis

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 4 feet tall

Zones: 5-8

Buy It: Yellow Crown Imperial ($28, The Home Depot)

Offering some of the best colors of the spring, the true-blue flowers of Siberian squill are truly first rate. This adaptable bulb spreads quickly and is great for planting in your lawn for a carpet of no-maintenance blue color in early spring.

Name: Scilla siberica

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 6 inches tall

Zones: 2-8

Buy It: Siberian Squill 50-Bulbs ($14, The Home Depot)

It's tough to have a favorite allium because there are so many wonderful choices. Most offer globe-shape blooms in shades of white, pink, yellow, and purple. Because alliums are related to onions, their leaves have a similar smell that acts as an animal deterrent. Try planting some at the front of garden borders, or surrounding tender lily bulbs to discourage troublesome critters.

Name: Allium selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 5 feet tall

Zones: 5-8

Buy It: Giant Allium Globemaster Bulb ($14, Etsy)

With its large flower spikes and sweet fragrance, hyacinth is one of the most eye-catching spring bulbs you can plant. Its strong scent seems to be what makes it unappealing to deer and rabbits, though. Plus, the bulbs themselves are poisonous to squirrels and other bulb-eaters, who will avoid digging them up. The flowers come in a variety of colors from blue pink, and purples to yellow, cream, and white.

Name: Hyacinthus orientalis

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 12 inches tall

Zones: 4-8

Buy It: Fierce Mix Hyacinth Bulbs ($15, Longfield Gardens)

A favorite spring bulb for many gardeners, grape hyacinth flowers resemble an upside-down cluster of grapes. Its tiny blue, purple, white, or yellow bell-shape blooms appear in tight clusters in early spring. Offering up a sweet scent of grape bubblegum and a punch of color, these shorter bulbs are most striking when planted in large clusters of bulbs near the front of a border.

Name: Muscari armeniacum

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 8 inches tall

Zones: 4-8

Buy It: 250 Muscari Grape Hyacinth Bulbs ($40, Longfield Gardens)

Perfect for providing color and contrast to the woodland garden, bluebells produce hanging clusters of blue blooms. If you're looking for more color contrast, you can even find pink- or white-flowering types of this bulb. Bluebells thrive under trees or shrubs or in shady plantings alongside other spring-blooming bulbs.

Name: Hyacinthoides hispanica

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: Up to 18 inches tall

Zones: 3-8

Buy It: Spanish Bluebells Mix ($60, White Flower Farm)

A charming woodland plant, dog-tooth violet bears lily-shaped flowers in shades of white, cream, yellow, and pink. Many selections also offer speckled foliage. Native to North America, this tiny spring bloomer tucks well into shade gardens, woodland plantings, and shaded areas of rock gardens where it will gracefully greet spring.

Name: Erythronium grandiflorum

Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: Up to 6 inches tall

Zones: 3-8

Buy It: Erythronium 'Pagoda' ($12, White Flower Farm)

The charming, intricate flowers of checkered lily never fail to impress. As the name suggests, the purple flowers bear a distinct checkerboard-pattern overlay. The pure-white selections are just as beautiful. The bulbs' faint skunk-like odor is pungent enough to repel most pests.

Name: Fritillaria meleagris

Growing Conditions: Shade and moist well-drained soil

Size: Up to 1 foot tall

Zones: 3-8

Buy It: Fritillaria meleagris ($14, White Flower Farm)

A charming little bulb that deserves to be a lot better known, glory-of-the-snow is one of the first bulbs to bloom in the spring and bears cheery pink, blue, or white star-shape flowers. Plant with other early spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips for a pretty splash of color in your garden.

Name: Chionodoxa luciliae

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: To 12 inches tall

Zones: 3-8

Buy It: Glory of the Snow Chionodoxa Bulbs ($9, The Home Depot)

One of the first bloomers you'll see in your yard before spring arrives, winter aconite bears cup-shape sunny yellow flowers. These rugged plants often sends their shoots up through snow. Plant these near your kitchen window or garage where its blooms can be appreciated in late winter.

Name: Eranthis hyemalis

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Buy It: Winter Aconite Bulbs ($5, Etsy)

Often greeting spring before the snow has gone, snowdrops offer small, dangling, butterfly-shape white flowers. Its common name refers to the supposed resemblance of the flowers to drops of snow. It grows particularly well under large deciduous trees and in groupings in border fronts.

Name: Galanthus nivalis

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: Up to 9 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Buy It: Galanthus nivalis ($21, White Flower Farm)