October is the perfect time to get a jump on your spring garden. By planting dozens of bulbs now, you'll ensure a very colorful year!

Do you envy your neighbors and their puddles of colorful blooms? You too can have a spectacular garden next year, you just just do a little work now. Fall is when some of the most popular flower bulbs should be planted, so get ready to go shopping.

What Bulbs Should I Plant in the Fall?

Tulips and daffodils are the showiest blossoms to plant if you plan on picking them for bouquets. I love having drifts of crocuses in the front yard because they poke through the snow at the end of winter. Within each flower type, you want to be sure to research and buy both early and late-blooming varieties.

How to Plant Bulbs in the Fall

There are a few ways to get your bulbs into the ground. The first, most time-consuming method is to dig a single hole for each single bulb. Another way is to dig a long, shallow trench and lay out the bulbs before covering them all at once. 

The flower bulb-layering method requires more planning but is ultimately easier. First, plan out where you want your flowers to pop up. Dig a hole about 6 inches deep and the size of at least a pizza box. Set out the tulip bulbs, cover them with about an inch of soil, then add your daffodil bulbs. Add another layer of soil, then top with crocus bulbs before covering up at least 1 inch of soil. Try to space the bulbs so that new growth can push up through the other spent blooms easily.

How to Monitor the Garden

Tulip bulbs will only produce for 3 to 5 years, so keep a list of what you put, and where. If you buy naturalizing daffodils, they spread every year, and the patch will renew itself. Planting mini daffodils in front of hedges provides a cheerful little pop of color. Most crocuses also naturalize and come back year after year.

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