Decided to go with a bulb-only border edge

I have about 12'x3' of border that I was trying decide how to plant and I ended up making an impulse bulb buy. I have been researching perennial ground covers and they all have downsides, even the new everblooming ones are not all they are cracked up to be and they are very expensive to use for ground cover at about $7 a pop. I even bought some lobelia seed and dianthus seed but in the end I decided bulbs would have the greatest impact - at least for spring/early summer. I know that the usual solution for the front of the border is lambs ear or something similar but that just doesn't turn me on. Here's what I have (I'm in zone 9) and my understanding of what will likely perennialize.

Darwin tulips (red, pink and white) - obviously these will not perennialize
Muscari ameniacium - these should perennialize but they are so cheap does not really matter
Daffodil - king alfred - these should perennialize
Anemone Blanda Mix - these will not perennialize
Ranunculus Rainbow Mix - unlikely to perennialize
Anemone Monarch de Caen Mix - unlikely to perennialize

I was thinking of planting in drifts in the following combinations (some of these were recomended by the bulb descriptions, others are commonly known)-

Tulips + anemone blanda + muscari
Daffodils + anemone Monarch de caen mix
Ranunculus Rainbow Mix on it's own

I figured it's better to have some planning otherwise it may look chaotic.

My questions are practical ones -

1. Are my perennialization assumptions pretty much correct? The problem with perennialization assumptions is not really one of economics for a small garden but rather the difference between having a garden or not having one! By that I mean if you assume something will perennialize and then it does not well that season is lost. Perhaps it's best to assume partial perennialization and purchase an amount of replacement bulbs based on the best estimate of bulb failure rate. Of course this assumes I won't be tearing up the planting in the fall (I'd rather not) in which case I would only store the sure fire perennials. Anyhow, this is something I shouldn't worry about for another year - live for the moment, right?

2. I know that I can't become an expert in garden design overnight but I'm thinking that by mid summer this border might look pretty sad. Of course, I'd pull the tulips as soon as blooms fade. Should I also pull the anemone and ranunculus? I have no idea what the foilaige looks like as the season progresses. My other thought was to interplant with dianthus (I have some deltoides artic fire and allwoodi spotlight) which comes to life mid summer thus at least partially disguising the folaige and adding some needed color but it may not be practical or possibly too ambitious for a beginning gardener.

I just keep thinking that there must be a way to have a border edge that has some color for 9 months of the year, doesn't have large amounts of obvious yellowing folaige during summer and is partially perennial.

Thanks for any comments.

Alex-- It's difficult to know how things will grow in your garden from year to year. Your micro-climate has much to do with it, and also how timely your watering and fertilizing is.

It's probably possible to perennialize your rans and anemones and your daffs (for a couple of years) if they like their sitings and if you are willing to baby them along. When I tried to grow these plants in Walnut Creek, when the spring/summer heat arrived my spring flowers more or less burned or dried out (but I was ignoring them, too).

If you are an optimist, you can grow your bulbs for next spring and hope for the best, then see how it goes. If you think your perennial bulb plan is not working after all, the next spring you could purchase some other perennial or annual flowers to fill in your border. Then adjust your plantings to what you have learned from your own bulb experience and what you see in other's gardens in your microclimate.

Here's a thread from GW that might answer some of your questions. Their recommendation for Allium and Irids would interest me if I had a California garden like yours.

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/calif/2003113224023104.html

And some details on how to grow Daffs

http://www.daffodil.org/daffodil/growingtips.htm

And some Master Gardener bulb growing advice from Davis that you may not have come across yet...

http://cemadera.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/Master_Gardeners_Articles4135.PDF

You know what they say about plants "You have to grow it to know it".

I'll be interested to see pics of your garden next spring. Good luck. t.