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Plant bulbs to bring successive waves of color to your garden. Bulbs are one of the easiest ways to create a showy display of gorgeous flowers with very little time and effort. Every single bulb is a powerhouse of stored energy, biding its time underground until the perfect conditions arrive for it to burst into its full glory.
So, to ensure you’re one step ahead when warmer weather arrives, let’s take a look at the best bulbs to plant this fall for a beautiful spring show!
1. Tulip (Tulipa spp.)
The cup-shaped blooms of tulips come in a range of vibrant colors and make excellent cut flowers to decorate your home. Different varieties of tulips bloom at different times, enabling you to create a colorful display that lasts for several weeks.
- Color: Various (red, yellow, pink, purple, white)
- Height: 8-28 inches
- Spacing: 4-6 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Early to late spring
2. Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
Who doesn’t adore the cheerful, trumpet-shaped flowers of the iconic daffodil? This low-maintenance bulb also comes in different shades and sizes and, once planted, will gradually multiply to create an ever-increasing display.
- Color: Yellow, white, orange, pink
- Height: 6-24 inches
- Spacing: 6 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Early to mid-spring
3. Hyacinth (Hyacinthus spp.)
Hyacinths are a great choice for planting in containers and can also be grown as a houseplant. They produce large, showy flowers that are highly fragrant and great for attracting pollinating insects.
- Color: Blue, purple, pink, white, yellow
- Height: 6-12 inches
- Spacing: 4-6 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Mid-spring
4. Crocus (Crocus spp.)
With over 80 varieties of crocus to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice! These dainty flowers are one of the first to emerge in early spring, bringing a welcome pop of color as winter fades.
- Color: Purple, white, yellow, striped
- Height: 3-6 inches
- Spacing: 3 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Late winter to early spring
5. Snowdrop (Galanthus spp.)
The nodding, bell-shaped flowers of snowdrops often emerge through the last snows of winter, hence their delightful name. This is the ideal bulb for shaded corners or under trees.
- Color: White
- Height: 3-6 inches
- Spacing: 3 inches apart
- Location: Partial shade to full shade
- Flowering Period: Late winter to early spring
6. Fritillary (Fritillaria spp.)
Fritillaries have delicate bell-shaped flowers with an unusual checkered pattern. They are deer-resistant and grow well in damp, shady soil, making them perfect for woodland areas.
- Color: Purple, yellow, white, checkered
- Height: 6-36 inches
- Spacing: 6-8 inches apart
- Location: Partial shade
- Flowering Period: Mid to late spring
7. Grecian Windflower (Anemone blanda)
Grecian windflowers are low-growing and ideal for planting under larger bulbs. Their daisy-like flowers add color to shady spots and attract beneficial pollinators to your garden.
- Color: Blue, white, pink
- Height: 4-6 inches
- Spacing: 3-4 inches apart
- Location: Partial shade
- Flowering Period: Early to mid-spring
8. Netted Iris (Iris reticulata)
This variety of iris blooms exceptionally early in the spring, adding a splash of bold color as winter fades. Netted irises do particularly well in rock gardens and containers.
- Color: Purple, blue, yellow
- Height: 4-6 inches
- Spacing: 3-4 inches apart
- Location: Full sun
- Flowering Period: Early spring
9. Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodoxa luciliae)
Glory-of-the-Snow forms a dense mat of low-growing foliage topped with delicate star-shaped flowers that provide a welcome splash of early-season color.
- Color: Blue, pink, white
- Height: 4-6 inches
- Spacing: 2-3 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Early spring
10. Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum)
Plant a patch of summer snowflake bulbs to keep your spring garden blooming for as long as possible. These tall snowdrop-like flowers grow in large clumps and nod gracefully in the late spring breeze.
- Color: White with green tips
- Height: 12-18 inches
- Spacing: 4-6 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Late spring
11. Striped Squill (Puschkinia libanotica)
Striped squill is a low-maintenance bulb that grows well in rock gardens and borders, producing a delightful display of delicate, striped blooms in early spring.
- Color: Pale blue with blue stripes
- Height: 4-6 inches
- Spacing: 3 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Early spring
12. Triplet Lily (Triteleia laxa)
Triplet Lily comes in a variety of colors. Plant this spring-flowering bulb in a sunny spot, where it will produce delicate, cluster-like flowers for several weeks.
- Color: Purple, blue, white
- Height: 12-20 inches
- Spacing: 4 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Late spring to early summer
13. Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum)
If you’re looking to add height to your floral display, Madonna lilies are a great choice. These huge white blooms come back year after year, creating a showy display.
- Color: White
- Height: 36-48 inches
- Spacing: 8-12 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Early summer
14. Harlequin Flower (Sparaxis spp.)
Harlequin flowers are named for their unusual multicolored patterning. This is an excellent bulb for warmer climates, where it will grow happily in full sun.
- Color: Mixed (often multicolored)
- Height: 12-18 inches
- Spacing: 4-6 inches apart
- Location: Full sun
- Flowering Period: Late spring to early summer
15. Poppy Anemone (Anemone coronaria)
Poppy anemones are a common sight in cut flower arrangements, but they also grow well as part of an ornamental border. Start in the fall for a spring showing.
- Color: Red, white, blue, purple
- Height: 6-12 inches
- Spacing: 3-4 inches apart
- Location: Full sun to partial shade
- Flowering Period: Mid-spring
Kate Chalmers
Kate is a passionate gardener who has a keen interest in all things related to homesteading and sustainability. She resides in Portugal with her husband and menagerie of animals and has over 15 years of experience in the UK veterinary industry. In 2020, Kate and her husband took on a dilapidated Portuguese house and abandoned olive grove, turning it into an abundant food forest and home for nature.
Life on the homestead is never the same from one day to the next, and Kate has mastered many skills that she is keen to pass on to anyone with an interest in becoming more self-sufficient. Kate believes that living a sustainable lifestyle is the key to happiness and fulfillment and that everyone can make simple changes that connect us back to nature and reduce our impact on the planet.
