Fall Bulb Planting For Spring Color

Fall planting of flower bulbs can create grandiose glories like this public garden, or tinier treasures in home gardens.

Mass plantings or individual highlights are delightful.

Bulbs can be "forced" indoors for additional enjoyment.

Dig individual holes for each bulb, or broader areas for mass plantings.

Layering bulbs, biggest bulbs lowest, provides consecutive blooming periods for more enjoyment in one space. This technique is ideal for limited spaces and containers. Adding blooming annuals on top provides all-season-long color until the bulbs sprout and bloom.

                   FALL-PLANTING BULB CHOICES

There are many colors, shapes, and sizes available.  You'll find that some will be more successful in your garden than others.  This is your excuse to buy many variations and hope that they proliferate!   Some may rebloom only once or twice more, needing more cold weather than we can provide, especially with our warming climate.  Best to consider only bulbs that are listed as suitable for Zone 9, 10 and 11.  Bulbs listed for Zones 8 and below require much more cold weather than our area can provide - even years ago when we had several hard frosts in my Pasadena garden.  Most of these photos are from my garden.

Allium. These drumsticks do come up every year.

Amaryllis. I have several color variations that do bloom and set seed every year. See my 7/4/16 blog instructions of how to grow from seed -- https://www.gardeninginla.net/blog/amaryllis-from-seed-to-bloom

Anemone, Windflower. These oddly-shaped, flattened corms are impossible to tell which side goes up, so I plant them going up and down. Whichever side sprouts shoots will naturally go up, and whichever side sprouts roots will naturally go down.

Bearded Iris. Be sure to plant rhizomes so the top surface is uncovered with soil or mulch, and point the foliage fan into the direction you want it to grow. Rebloomers should provide more color again in the fall as well as the main bloom in March and April.

Broadiaea, Fool's Onion.

Camassia, Wild Hyacinth. These proliferate nicely in my garden.

Chasmanthe, African Flag, Cobra Lily. Blooms in January and February in my garden, when little else is in color. Spreads by corms and seed in my garden, but easily dug up to share.

Chiondoxa, Glory of the Snow.

Crocus. Lasts only 1 year in my garden, but such a cute delight!

Daffodil is the common name for Narcissus. Of all the wonderful color and shape variations of these big "daffodils", only the common bright yellow and these bicolor bulbs come up and multiply each year in my garden.

Daffodil/Narcissus, Paperwhites. Both white and yellow paperwhites come up first in late fall - usually around Thanksgiving - in my garden.

Daylily. They do need more water than I'd assumed, to keep them blooming from year to year.

Dutch Iris. These more-interesting color variations need completely dry soil during their dormancy over the summer.

Freesia. Many bright colors with large blooms proliferate in my garden.

Freesia species. These "original" freesia blooms are smaller, more pointed, creamy-colored, and very fragrant. Absolutely worth finding if you can. This is the one from which all the more exotic colors were bred, but lost most of the exquisite fragrance as a result.

Galanthus, Snowdrop. Has 3 long petals and 3 short petals, differing from Leucojum. Among the first to bloom.

Hyacinth. Very fragrant, but not pleasantly to some folks. Be sure to plant deeply so the bloomstalk grows completely out of the ground before coloring up.

Hyacinthoides, Wood Hyacinth, Bluebells. Proliferates nicely in well-drained area of my garden.

Ipheion, Starflower. Tiny corms and sprout into grassy foliage and then send up blooms. Easy to dig clumps to share or spread.

Ixia, African Corn Flower, Wandflower.

Leucojum, Snowflake. Has petals even in length, differing from Galanthus.

Lycoris, Spider Lily. Multiplies nicely in my garden.

Muscari, Grape Hyacinth. Has created a nice "flow" down my hillside.

Nerine. Proliferates nicely in my garden.

Ornithogalum, Arabian Starflower. Fragrant but not pleasant to some folks.

Ranunculus, Buttercup. Exquisitely full but delicate blooms. Plant with the "claw" pointing downwards.

Scilla, Squill. Wonderfully bulky blue presence in the garden, each little flower opening gradually into the mass.

Tulip. Count on these as a one-time glory. Even so, they're just too wonderful to not include in your garden! Go for early-bloomers that are single-petalled, and plant them deeper than instructed. They'll require the least amount of chill hours to perform at least minimally.

Many catalogs and online websites have similar planting charts.

Why plant bulbs now for Spring color?  They’re easy to plant, require little maintenance, and provide years of increasing color.  What’s not to love?  You can choose among several characteristics – early bloomers, critter-resistant, fragrant, shade-tolerant, cut flowers, or forcing indoors.  Here are tips like what’s a healthy bulb look like, when to plant, how to plant, how to care after they bloom.  Then, my comments from my garden on 27 common types to choose, and online resources.  Go for it!

Why Plant Bulbs?

• Easy to plant
• Little maintenance
• Years of increasing color

 
Specific Bulb Characteristics

• Early bloomers: Anemone, chasmanthe, crocus, hyacinth.
• Critter resistant: Paperwhite, snowflake.
• Fragrant: Allium, daffodil, freesia, grape hyacinth, hyacinth, narcissus, paperwhite, tulip.
• Shade tolerant: Camassia, daffodil, galanthus (snowdrop).
• Cut flowers: Allium, anemone, daffodil, freesia, hyacinth, ranunculus, and tulip.  However, you don’t want to cut too many blooming stems because this will deprive the bulbs of their energy for next year’s bloom. 
• Indoor forcing:  Crocus, daffodil, grape hyacinth, hyacinth, tulip. Bulbs probably won’t retain sufficient energy for planting and blooming in the future.

 
Bulb Planting Tips

• What does a healthy bulb look like?  Large for their type, firm, and dry. Don’t even consider tiny, shriveled bulbs or any that have mold or squishy spots, especially late in the season.
• When to plant bulbs: Bulbs that flower in the spring are planted in the fall. Purchase and plant them as soon as they’re available so you get the highest quality, and they have as long a growing season as possible before blooming.

• How to plant bulbs: Generally, plant bulbs 2 or 3 times as deep as the bulb is tall – Larger bulbs like daffodils are planted up to 6” deep, and smaller bulbs like crocus are planted up to 4” deep. Plant the pointy side of the bulb facing upwards (or with any visible roots facing down).  If you can’t tell (as with anemone), simply plant the bulb on its side, and the bulb’s roots and shoots will find their correct direction. See below for more techniques in planting masses of bulbs.
• How to care for bulbs after they flower: When the bulbs are done blooming, allow the spent flower stalk and the foliage to dry back naturally.  Wait until the foliage is crispy brown, then break them off at ground level. This enables the bulb to reabsorb the nutrients for the following season.  Cutting the foliage off too early will lessen the energy available for the next year’s bloom.

 
Planting Masses of Bulbs

• Dig a wider hole. Instead of digging separate holes for each bulb, simple dig a wider hole.  Place several of the bulbs at their recommended depth and spacing, top with soil, and water in.
• Layer the bulbs. If your space is limited, as in a container, and you have several types of bulbs, layer the bulbs. Plant the larger bulbs the deepest. Add enough soil to barely cover them.  Place the medium-sized bulbs a bit offset from the points of the larger bulbs. Barely cover with soil.  Place the smaller bulbs. 
• Top with blooming annuals. You may also want to transplant fall-blooming annuals on top to camouflage the bare soil and provide color until and while the bulbs sprout and bloom.

 
Fall-Planting Bulb Choices
Allium
Amaryllis
Anemone (Windflower)
Bearded Iris
Brodiaea (Fool’s Onion)
Camassia (Wild Hyacinth)
Chasmanthe
Chiondoxa (Glory of the Snow)
Crocus
Daffodil (Narcissus)
Daylily
Dutch Iris
Freesia
Galanthus (Snowdrop)
Hyacinth
Hyacinthoides (Wood Hyacinth, Bluebells)
Ipheion (Starflower)
Ixia (African Corn Flower, Wandflower)
Leucojum (Snowflake)
Lycoris (Spider Lily)
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)
Nerine
Ornithogalum (Star of Bethlehem)
Ranunculus (Buttercup)
Scilla (Squill)
Tulip

Online Bulb Resources

• American Meadows - https://www.americanmeadows.com/
• Bluestone Perennials - https://www.bluestoneperennials.com/
• Brecks -                           https://www.brecks.com/
• Dutch Grown -   https://www.dutchgrown.com/
• Easy To Grow Bulbs - www.easytogrowbulbs.com
• Eden Brothers - https://www.edenbrothers.com/
• High Country Gardens - https://www.highcountrygardens.com/
• Holland Bulb Farms - https://www.hollandbulbfarms.com/
• K. van Bourgondien - https://www.dutchbulbs.com/
• White Flower Farm - https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/