12 Bulbs to Plant in Fall for the Best Spring Blooms
It’s time to plan ahead and plant your bulbs for a colorful, lively spring! Unsure which bulbs will give you the biggest blooms for your buck? Whether you’re looking for rare colors, the biggest blooms, or classic color schemes, we have you covered. To make the most of your spring, we chose top-ranked bulbs that will fill your garden with dazzling color and cheer!
So grab your gardening gloves and get ready. Fall bulbs planting season is here!
A Quick Guide to Planting Bulbs
1. Give Them Space & Plant Them Deep Enough
Planting bulbs is pretty straightforward. However, there are some common mistakes some gardeners make. So, if you’re new to planting bulbs in fall or just need reassurance that you’re on the right track, remember to:
- Plant your bulbs with their roots down and their sprouting ends up. Most bulbs look a bit like an onion or garlic. The fat side is the bottom of the bulb, and the pointy side should stick up.
- Read the planting guidelines on your bulbs and don’t skimp depth. While many bulbs will bloom in spring if they’re not planted deep enough, they’re less likely to thrive long-term if you don’t bury them deep enough. This is because they’re exposed to too much warm weather or don’t quite freeze well enough in the winter.
- Keep in mind that most bulbs will naturalize and multiply, so give them space to do so. Crowded bulbs wind up stealing too many nutrients from one another to truly thrive and impress to the best of their ability.
2. Keep Taller Blooms Toward the Back of Your Bed
When planning your bulb beds, place shorter blooms toward the front, so they don’t get overshadowed by taller ones. You can also use a diagonal pattern to ensure more blooms are visible at one time.
3. Stagger Bloom Times
Lengthen the beauty of your spring garden by selecting a range of bloom times. If you choose all early-spring blooms, your spring color will fizzle out long before spring turns to summer. So aim for some varieties that bloom in late winter, early spring, mid-spring, and late spring!
4. Have Fun!
As always, don’t forget to have fun. Don’t be afraid of whimsy, romance, or a bold color palette.
Best Picks for Spring Bulbs to Plant Now
Where should you begin? The world of bulbs is as diverse as fish species in the ocean–maybe even more! To get you started here are some of our fall-planting favorites:
Crocus
Crocus are one of the first spring blooms to appear. In fact, they’ll even push through the snow! They’re low-growing and primarily come in shades of white, violet, and yellow. They also naturalize well, so plan to see them year after year.
Top Picks for Your Garden
Pickwick Crocus
Bloom time: Early Spring
Color: Purple & white striated
Height: 4 - 6 inches
Orange Monarch Crocus
Bloom time: Early Spring
Color: Orange with brown highlights
Height: 4 - 6 inches
Jeanne d'Arc Crocus
Bloom time: Early Spring
Color: White
Height: 4 - 6 inches
Hyacinths
Known for their enchanting scent, hyacinths are by far some of the loveliest of the Asparagaceae family. That’s right! They’re related to asparagus, although, they’re not edible. Their blooms cluster at the top of a sturdy stalk and come in a wide range of spring hues!
When planting them among other bulbs, keep in mind most are short to medium in height.
Top Picks for Your Garden
Grape Hyacinth
Bloom time: Early Spring
Color: Deep Purple
Height: 8 - 12 inches
Pink Sunrise Grape Hyacinth
Bloom time: Early Spring
Color: A gradient of soft pink to white
Height: 6 - 8 inches
Ocean Magic Grape Hyacinth
Bloom time: Late Spring
Color: White with white
Height: 6- 8 inches
Daffodils
It’s hard to not love daffodils (AKA narcissus). With their bold trumpets and energetic petals, they’re a spring garden staple. And there are so many varieties, you’ll never get bored by adding a few new picks to your yard.
Their heights range from tiny to Jack-in-the-Beanstalk–and you will find doubles, triples, and an endless possibility of trumpet forms.
Top Picks for Your Garden
Ice King Double Daffodil
Bloom time: Early Spring
Color: Creamy white petals with buttery yellow trumpets
Height: About 14 inches
Sorbet Daffodil
Bloom time: Early Spring
Color: Ivory petals with fiery cream, yellow, and orange trumpets
Height: About 16 inches
Altruist Daffodil
Bloom time: Early Spring to Late Spring
Color: Sherbert orange petals with tangerine trumpets
Height: 14 - 16 inches
Tulips
Tulips are too spectacular to omit from your bulb garden or cutting garden. They offer some of the greatest range of color, petal number, and size variation. They also hold up well and stand tall among other blooms.
Pink Impression Tulip
Bloom time: Late Spring
Color: Flamingo pink
Height: 20 - 24 inches
Amazing Grace Tulip
Bloom time: Early to late spring
Color: Magenta with light pink margins
Height: 14 - 15 inches
North Pole Tulip
Bloom time: Late Spring
Color: White
Height: About 18 inches
Bury Your Bulbs This Fall for a Fantastic Spring
If you’re adding new bulbs to your existing ones, don’t forget that many love to be fertilized in early spring.
Don’t miss out on a world of vibrant blooms this spring. It’s time to plan ahead and get planting. Embrace the fall planting season and reward yourself with an unbeatable display after the gray skies go away!
