8 Types of Bulbs to Plant in Fall to Maximize Spring Color in Your Garden

These easy-to-grow types of bulbs to plant in fall will fill your garden with colorful spring flowers.

Spring-blooming bulbs ready for planting may not look like much, but after you tuck them in the ground in fall, these bulbs will burst into dazzling bloom in spring. Thanks to the diverse nature of this huge plant group, there is a bulb for nearly every need. Looking for something that will pop up through late spring snow cover? There are bulbs for that. Got deer or other garden critter issues? There are bulbs that animals tend to avoid. How about bulbs to grow for garden-fresh bouquets? Absolutely. Find the perfect types of bulbs below for your garden and get planting!

Bulbs for Bouquets

The best cutting flowers have long, sturdy stems and remain fresh and vibrant for days in a vase. Tulips and daffodils fit the bill, producing excellent flowers for bouquets. Both tulips (Tulipa) and daffodils (Narcissus) are available in early-, mid-, and late-season flowering varieties. Expect a mid-season daffodil or tulip to bloom about two weeks after an early-season variety. Late-season varieties continue the pattern, blooming two weeks or so after a mid-season variety. Plant varieties that bloom in each season and enjoy fresh-cut bulb bouquets for six weeks or longer.

Related: 23 Pretty Spring Centerpieces and Floral Arrangements

Bulbs for Early Spring

The earliest-blooming bulbs contend with occasional snow, freezing rain, and frigid temperatures as the winter turns to spring. These tough and tiny bulbs are a welcome sight after a long winter. Plant them along walkways and near entryways, where you are sure to enjoy their early spring color show. The best bulbs for early spring include crocus (Crocus), glory of the snow (Chionodoxa), squill (Scilla sibirica), and grape hyacinth (Muscari).

Related: This Bulb Planting Guide Will Help Fill Your Yard with Spring Flowers

Deer and Critter Resistant Bulbs

If your landscape is a salad bar of sorts for local wildlife, plant bulbs that are less likely to be browsed by critters. Keep in mind that deer and rodents are unpredictable and will eat almost anything when food is scarce.

Large flowering bulbs that are deer- and critter-resistant include camassia (shown here), daffodils, fritillaria (Fritillaria), hyacinth, and summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum).  These 8- to 24-inch-tall flowers create a masse of color when planted in large groups. Carpet the soil around perennials and shrubs with small flowering bulbs that are deer and critter-resistant. Dutch iris (Iris hollandica), snowdrop (Galanthus), grape hyacinths, and squill are just 4 to 8 inches tall and are rarely bothered by deer.

Related: 12 Beautiful Rabbit- and Deer-Resistant Bulbs for Your Garden

Bulbs with Fragrant Flowers

Celebrate both the sights and fragrances of spring with fragrant types of bulbs. Hyacinths (Hyacinthus) are the most fragrant spring-blooming bulbs. These stout, petal-packed flowers can perfume an entire garden. Some daffodils are delightfully fragrant too. Try planting fragrant ‘Minnow’ and ‘Actaea,’ also known as Poet’s daffodil.

Hidden Gems

Daffodils and tulips are fan favorites, but there’s a whole world of lesser-known bulbs that offer unique spring flowers. A few to experiment with include:

• Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica), shown above, have bell-shaped flowers on 15-inch-tall stems. Spanish bluebells bloom in shades of blue, pink, and white and are most striking when planted in large drifts.
• Camassia is a North American native bulb that thrives in soil that is more wet than daffodils, tulips, and other spring-blooming bulbs will tolerate. Camassia’s 2-foot-tall flower spikes are decorated with star-shaped blooms in shades of purple or white.
• Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) has buttercup yellow flowers and fern-like foliage and stands just 4 inches tall. This heirloom was first planted in the 1500s and is beloved for its ability to naturalize. Plant it between shrubs or perennials in a border for a sea of color.

Bulbs that Mix Well with Perennials

Think of these small flowering spring bulbs as early spring groundcover for perennial gardens or shrub borders. They emerge in early spring and bloom with gusto. Their foliage remains green for weeks before turning yellow, and they disappear when perennials rapidly expand and shrubs are in full splendor. The best bulbs for mixing with perennials include snowdrops, grape hyacinths, crocus, early daffodils, and squill.

Related: 13 Best Bulbs to Plant in Fall to Attract Pollinators in Spring

Bulbs to Naturalize in the Lawn or Woodland

Some bulbs naturalize easily, which means multiply and spread slowly to form a carpet of springtime color over the years. Crocus, snowdrop, grape hyacinth, and squill naturalize well when planted in the lawn or around deciduous trees. A few daffodils also naturalize well, such as ‘Mount Hood,’ ‘Ice Follies,’ ‘Salome,’ and ‘Thalia’.

Tips

Delaying mowing in spring so the bulb foliage in your lawn can wither naturally. When the bulb foliage is mostly yellow, it is safe to mow.

Bulbs that Are Ultra Easy to Plant

If you are short on time and need bulbs that are fast and easy to plant, focus on smaller bulbs such as crocus, snowdrops, grape hyacinths, summer snowflakes, and squill. These small bulbs produce petite flowers that make a big impact in an early spring garden. Unlike tulips and daffodils, which require 8- to 10-inch-deep planting holes, these bulbs can be planted in 4-inch-deep troughs. Instead of planting individual bulbs, dig one large 4-inch-deep basin to create a drift of bulbs quickly.

Related: How to Plant Spring Bulbs in Fall for Glorious Blooms Next Year

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