Plant Fall Bulbs for Gorgeous Spring Flowers

Planting bulbs in the Fall is one of the greatest investments you can make for your future happiness. When early Spring weather is grey and miserable and being outside is the last thing on your mind, nothing beats looking out of your window to a fresh display of your favorite colors or ducking out in the garden to gather a handful of flowers to cut and bring inside. Spring-flowering bulb selection is best in September and October, so take time now to gift your water-logged, weary Spring-self something special.

Types of Spring-Flowering Bulbs by Bloom Time

Mid-Spring to Late Spring (April–May)

• Tulips
• Dutch Irises
• Allium (late May into June)

Garden Design Tips for Spring-Flowering Bulbs

Spring-flowering bulbs extend your flowering season dramatically and fill the garden with color when other plants are still dormant. Whether you plant Narcissus bulbs all around your Roses for a striking early-season display, plant up your containers with layers of fragrant Hyacinths and stunning Tulips, or dedicate a whole bed reserved for Summer annuals to a Spring bulb, there’s no wrong way to introduce bulbs to your garden. Here are some of our top tips for taking a design-forward approach to adding bulbs to your landscape or containers.

Play with Color

Spring flowering bulbs don’t last forever, which makes them the perfect place to be bold with color. Rather than worrying about matching your existing landscape, choose colors and styles that speak to your personal taste at this moment! A few approaches can help guide your color choices:

• Monochromatic palettes look sophisticated, while a single accent color adds punch. All white is chic and timeless and lingers longest in the landscape.
• Bright tones like coral, orange, and yellow bring energy to gray days, while pairing two neighboring colors on the color wheel creates vibrant drama.
• If old plantings don’t match your new scheme, simply pick the blooms when they emerge for cheerful bouquets—you’ll clear space for the new palette and spread joy at the same time.

Customize Your Layout

Spring-flowering bulbs can be planted in many different ways, allowing you to tailor your garden’s look according to your personal style.

• For maximum visual impact, plant bulbs in drifts or clusters rather than single rows—masses of flowers create a natural, flowing look in the landscape.
• For a truly organic feel, scatter bulbs with a similar color scheme and staggered bloom times across your garden before planting. This “toss and roll” method creates a random, natural pattern that bursts to life beautifully in spring.
• Bring a touch of whimsy by planting crocuses in your lawn, which emerge and finish blooming before the first mowing, or use early-blooming tulips and crocuses to soften the edges of pathways and entryways.

Focus on Fragrance

To bring fragrance into your Spring Garden, plant strongly scented bulbs such as hyacinths or narcissus near pathways, patios, or entryways where their perfume can be appreciated up close. If you’d like to enjoy their scent indoors as well, focus on these same bulbs for cutting, as both narcissus and hyacinths make wonderfully fragrant bouquets to brighten your home in Spring.

Enhance Seasonal Containers

Elevate your container gardens with spring-flowering bulbs for a high-impact display right where you can enjoy it most. Plant bulbs in layers to create a continuous sequence of blooms that unfold over several months. Once the spring display fades, simply add summer annuals or winter-dormant perennials on top, leaving the bulbs below undisturbed—giving you effortless, season-long beauty with minimal effort.

How to Plant & Grow Spring-Flowering Bulbs

Bulbs emerge and bring early color when trees are bare and few flowers thrive beyond pansies, violas, and primroses. Unlike most plants, bulbs aren’t fussy about sun or shade, giving you far more flexibility. Plant them now in perennial borders, vacant spaces around trees (avoid dense evergreens), or layer them into pots beneath winter annuals or soon-to-be dormant perennials.

• While it’s best to follow package planting depths, bulbs naturally pull themselves deeper into the soil with contractile roots—so plant them as deep as you can and let nature handle the rest.
• Amend the soil with bone meal when planting—the phosphorous in the bone meal will ensure extra strong stems so the blooms don’t take a nose dive in the rains.
• To create a mass planting, select a portion of a bed that is otherwise blank and quiet, dig a trough, and lay the bulbs in so they are close but not touching.
• When planting bulbs into existing beds of Summer flowers, use a hori hori knife to shoehorn plants into tight spaces. Bulbs play well with others, so plant them right next to perennials that take a long time to emerge like Agastache, Echinacea, and Hostas.

Spring-flowering bulbs come in a multitude of shapes, styles, and colors and bring unparalleled life into the early garden. Whether you prefer a sophisticated look, a moody seasonal transition, or are looking for ways to electrify your pots, our garden centers are well-stocked during Fall with the highest quality bulbs to set you up for success next Spring!