13

Bulbs to Plant in Fall

for Spring Crops and Color

Alliums’ “bee-guiling” flowers are attractive to pollinators, often smelling sweet rather than onion-scented like their spiky foliage.

1. Ornamental Allium  (Allium spp.)

With blooms that resemble summer flowers, plus fern-like foliage, the most popular bulb-grown anemones include A. coronaria—hardy only in Zones 7 through 10—and the ground cover A. blanda

2. Anemone (Anemone spp.)

Low-growing crocuses seldom surpass 6 inches in height and come in both autumn- and spring-blooming species. The flowers of the former tend to be larger than those of the latter and often pop up quite soon after you plant the corms.

3. Crocus (Crocus spp.)

When planting daffodil bulbs, place them where later plants will conceal their yellowing leaves, since the foliage of these spring-flowering bulbs must be allowed to wither to restore energy to the bulbs.

4. Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)

One of the more unusual perennial bulbs to plant in fall, fritillaria offers drooping bell-shaped flowers that open beneath grassy leaves.

5. Fritillaria (Fritillaria spp.)

For the best results, plant only the largest cloves. Your garlic should be ready for harvest in early summer of the following year once its tops begin flopping over.

6. Garlic (Allium sativum)

Put on gloves before reaching for your bulb planter since handling the bulbs can cause an allergic skin reaction.

7. Hyacinth  (Hyacinthus orientalis)

When planting irises in the fall, keep in mind that large, bearded I. germanica types may not bloom the following spring. It sometimes takes them a while to establish themselves.

8. Iris (Iris spp.)

Although lily bulbs don’t require feeding, you may want to apply a granular organic fertilizer to their soil in the fall to improve it, mixing in the equivalent of 4 pounds for a 60-square-foot bed.

9. Lily (Lilium spp.)

Where temperatures don’t drop too drastically, you also can harvest their greens in winter and spring.

10. Shallot (Allium cepa)

"The New Sunset Western Garden Book” recommends that you grow S. siberica in naturalized drifts, and S. peruviana in clumps or containers.

11. Squill (Scilla spp.)

Tulips are one of the best bulbs to plant in fall. The most reliable as perennials are Darwin hybrids, followed by wildflower types such as T. Greigii, or water lily tulips (T. kaufmanniana).

12. Tulip (Tulipa spp.)

If you prefer an aconite with a bit larger blooms, try E. hyemalis (Cilicica Group) instead; it flowers about a month later than most winter aconites.

13. Winter Aconite  (Eranthis hyemalis)

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