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The 10 Best Bulbs to Plant in the Fall

Plant these bulbs now to enjoy their gorgeous blooms next spring!

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floral background   fresh spring lawn with daffodils, tulips and bluebell flowers
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Gardening is sometimes about delayed gratification, especially when you plant bulbs. You won't get instant color (as you do with annuals or perennials) but you will get flowers next spring if you plant the right flowers during autumn— exactly when you need color after a long, grey winter! Best of all, most bulbs return year after year, so they're a great investment in your garden. You can plant them in containers, too, if you're short on space in your garden beds.

Keep these best practices in mind when planting bulbs in the fall: First, make sure a plant is suited for your USDA Hardiness Zone (check yours here). Then plant bulbs with the pointy ends facing up in mid to late fall before the ground freezes. If you're not sure which end of the bulb is up, which can happen with squashed-looking types of bulbs, plant them on their side in the hole. Nature will figure it out! Also, read the label to learn how deep to plant. Finally, pay attention to height. Plant taller types in the back of beds and the itty-bitty ones upfront or in rock gardens. It's also more aesthetically appealing to plant several bulbs close together, rather than one bulb here and one bulb there, which looks sparse.

After the blooms fade, don't be too impatient to clean up the foliage! While it's fine to snip off the flower stems at the base of the plant to neaten things up, wait until the leaves turn yellow and die back to remove the foliage because the plant needs the leaves to make food for next year’s flowers.

And now, discover some of our favorite spring-flowering bulbs to plant in the fall.

1

Daffodil

daffodil bloom
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Daffodils, also called narcissus, are some of the most dependable and easiest-to-grow bulbs with varieties that bloom from early to late spring. Squirrels and other rodents leave them alone due to poisonous crystals in the leaves and bulbs. They come in bright yellows, pure white, pale pinks, and varieties with double or ruffled petals.

Varieties to try: Tête-à-tête, Apricot Whirl

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2

Snowflake

snowflake
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These tiny plants, also called leucojum, bloom profusely in early spring. They multiply on their own, and rodents tend to leave them alone. Put them at the front of the border or in a rock garden to show off their delicate beauty.

Varieties to try: Spring Snowflake, Summer Snowflake

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3

Hyacinth

blue  hyacinth spring flowers near window
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The sweet scent of hyacinth, which comes in shades of white, blue, purple, and pink, is quite distinctive in early spring. The sturdy blooms last for many weeks and come back reliably year after year. Best of all, rodents and deer don't like them!

Varieties to try: Peter Stuyvesant, Jan Bos

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4

Crocus

united states   20040101 crocus in snow photo by wolfgang kaehlerlightrocket via getty images
Wolfgang Kaehler

Crocuses are some of the earliest bulbs to bloom, often appearing when there’s still snow on the ground. Plant them en masse for a beautiful swath of color. But don’t be surprised if you find them popping up in other places in your yard. Squirrels and chipmunks like to dig them up and rebury them elsewhere!

Varieties to try: Blue Pearl, Tricolor

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5

Allium

Allium.
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Beautiful globes of purple, deep pink or reddish-purple dance on top of long, graceful stems in late-spring. They’re also known as ornamental onions, which means rodents and deer won't bug them.

Varieties to try: Gladiator, Drumsticks

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6

Grape Hyacinth

muscari blooms
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These tiny flowers are amazing! They have a slight grape-y scent and clusters of blue, purple, white, and ombre-patterned flowers in early to mid-spring. Grape hyacinths, also called muscari, multiply quickly season after season.

Varieties to try: Latifolium, White Magic

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7

Starflower

spring starflower, triteleia uniflorum
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This teeny, adorable flower, also called ipheion, is a less well-known spring bulb. But it's been popular in gardens since colonial times. It has sweetly-scented star-shaped flowers in shades of white or blue. Plant in large drifts for best effect.

Varieties to try: White Star, Jessie

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8

Tulip

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Albert Hendrik / EyeEm

Unlike most other fall-planted bulbs, most types of tulips usually don’t return the following year. So, they're generally treated as annuals with new bulbs planted every year. Despite the extra work, their beauty makes them absolutely worth planting to enjoy for the season.

Varieties to try: La Belle Epoque, Continental

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9

Scilla

siberian squill   cybulica siberian scilla siberica
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Darling porcelain blue or blue-white star-shaped flowers appear in early spring. Scilla, also called Siberian squill, are beautiful planted in groups under trees, in rock gardens, or as a groundcover where you can’t get grass to grow.

Varieties to try: Siberian, Striped

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10

Dwarf Iris

beautiful bloom of dwarf iris iris reticulata spring
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The delicate blossoms of dwarf iris appear in very early spring. The petals have interesting frills, while the grass-like foliage is pretty even after the flowers fade. Plant it in rock gardens or the front of borders because otherwise, it will be overwhelmed by other plants.

Varieties to try: Pauline, Pixie

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