Timings of plants. Can I double up in a given space?

[RoganJosh]

I'm planning what should go in our borders next year in our new house. I'm kind of there with shrubs I planted this year and perennials I'm planning. I've looked at when things flower and their height etc.
I'm now stuck on bulbs. Do they need their own space? Or if they flower April ish, can I use the same space that my things that flower June to aug go in? If not, should I hide the bulbs at the back of the bed?
I have a really skinny flower bed so am trying to not have empty bits.
Or should I just shove the bulbs in pots?
Or plant on top with annuals?

Help! I'm clearly missing the obvious.

Dear roganjosh you are not missing the obvious; 'succession planting' (the horticultural term) as it is called , ie using the same spot in the garden for different plants over the seasons, is an art.
There are teaching days on it, the best of which are probably the spring Great Dixter one and the Autumn Sarah Raven one.

Anyway, as a very amateurish amateur this is what I have gathered over the years:

a) You can layer bulbs in the soil: so, for example you can plant tulips deeply and on top of them crocuses or snowdrops and the crocuses and snowdrops will flower first and then the tulips.
b)You can plant late spring/early summer flowering perennials or roses even in the vicinity knowing that they wont be in leaf when the bulbs are flowering and then when the bulbs are over they will take over that flowering space.
c)succession planting is also applied to organic vegetable growing

Here are the links to the experts
www.greatdixter.co.uk/learning/study-days/
www.sarahraven.com/autumn_bulb_festival_with_sarah.htm
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/21/gardens-layering-bulbs

However this is the best practical advice on layering bulbs for me
gardenforever.com/pages/artLayering.htm

That is extremely helpful. Thank you so much!
Back to my planning with a spring in my step...

Ooh what excellent and timely advice, I am just planning some bulb planting, and I am an utter amateur.

Thanks both!

Me too! Think I'll shove mine in pots as I don't have much border space. I want to put some fritillaries in our (very damp) lawn but I'm not sure I can stop DH mowing them . To avoid gaps, you could also follow your bulbs with short lived annuals in the summer (nasturtiums are great for filling a temporary hole).

you could put early bulbs in a patch in the lawn, the grass can be cut long round it in the spring (doesn't grow very fast in spring anyway) and then once the leaves are 6 weeks after flowering, you just cut the grass properly and the bulbs stay hidden under ground.

You can lift bulbs (again,leaves need 6 weeks to build the bulbs up) and then plant bedding plants where the bulbs were, and then re-plant the bulbs next autumn.

My mum does all her bulbs in pots round her patio, easy to see from the house, don't need watering usually in winter/spring. You can make amazing layered pots with crocus, daffs, hyacinth, tulips etc. They finally finish in May, just right for changing bulbs for summer plants in the pots.