Flowers to plant in the grass for late winter colour

Supercell

I was out in Cabinteely Park a couple of weeks ago and down by the river, where the huge trees and side entrance are, they had loads of flowers growing through the short grass which was really nice.

I remember when i was living in Annamoe in Wicklow that every year there was a fantastic Bluebell show in the grounds i was renting in.

My back garden is in shadow from mid November until mid January but after that the sun gets in. What bulbs could I get to put there for some winter or spring colour and when should I plant them? Can I buy bluebells and snowdrops? What about other colours (like in Cabinteely Park mentioned above?)
I live about 1.5km from the sea in Dublin so get very little frost so they dont have to be very hardy.
Thanks for any advice.

pwurple

I've never been to cabinteely, but are the bulbs crocuses? Blue, yellow and white usually.

You can buy these and just plant them in lawn.

Supercell

Yes, that looks like them for sure. Just been googling all about them after reading your post. Next November I'll be on a mission planting them! Thanks very much pwurple

LurkerNo1

Crocus tommasinianus are your best bet for naturalising in grass, they take the wind and rain well just don't cut your lawn until all their foliage has died back. You really need to plant large numbers for effect but they will also self seed if happy. Id stick to the one color with crocus less is more. Personally i prefer the look of snowdrops better under deciduous trees or shrubs its up to yourself though.
Id leave the bluebells out they can take over if your property is small.
Camassia bulbs are a lot nicer IMO but would be better suited to a border or long grass.

tampopo

yes, I would skip bluebells as when they finish flowering they flop over and dont' look so well... crocuses are the thing, along with snowdrops.

What I would suggest for late autumn early winter colour is nerines. don't plant the bulbs like daffodils, (like I did once) they should be half in and half out of the ground. They are clump forming so don't plant them too deep. I think they can be divided after a few years. I plan on planting a few of these this summer...