The Gold Standard Bulbs That Everyone Should Plant in Fall

Growing 2 feet tall from rushlike foliage, Dutch irises are marked by clear, intense colors such as deep blue, purple, and orange, usually with a yellow blotch on the falls (the petals that drape off the sides of each flower). For blue, try ‘Professor Blaauw’; for magenta purple, ‘Purple Sensation’ (at left); for yellow, ‘Royal Yellow’. Mass irises among low ornamental grasses for a meadow effect. Or mix them in pots with yellow violas. They grow in all but the coldest parts of the West and naturalize even in mild climates.

Slender and lovely, Lady, or Candy, tulips are pale yellow or white inside, red to magenta outside; they grow 6 to 9 inches tall. Blossoms of Tulipa clusiana chrysantha are rose carmine on the outside and bright yellow inside. Or for yellow star-shaped flowers with white tips, try T. tarda. For a big show next spring, plant three dozen bulbs 2 inches deep in a shallow, 15-inch-wide terra-cotta container. These tulips grow anywhere and usually come back year after year even in mild-winter climates.

Common in English gardens, word of fritillaria (aka checker lily) is just making its way over the pond to a new generation of American gardeners. F. meleagris is much loved for its tiny checkered flower heads on short dainty stems. They’ll perform best in sheltered, woodland gardens in dappled shade.

Naturally yellow or white, daffodils sometimes come with a salmon, apricot, or coral corona (the cup in the center of the flower). They stand up to cold and are easy to grow. ‘Apricot Lace’ has a divided, apricot-colored corona framed against a white perianth (outer petals) on 14-inch stems. For a salmon trumpet against yellow outer petals, try the 18-inch ‘Lorikeet’. Daffodils are prettiest when massed in pots or combined with violas in antique shades of apricot and blue. Daffodils grow and ­perennialize anyplace there’s even modest winter chill.

As the common name implies, these darling harbingers of spring resemble tiny clusters of blue grapes; as the Latin name implies, they also thrive on a fair amount of neglect. Grow clumps of these fall bulbs in rock gardens and along woodland edges, or plant them in containers and window boxes for a cheery reminder that spring is right around the corner.

Like parrots, these tulips come in brilliant hues (some are striped and flamed in various colors); petals have ruffled or feathery edges. Big flowers are easily animated in the wind. ‘Blue Parrot’  has mauve-blue flowers on 18-inch stems. ‘Estella Rijnveld’ is even more flamboyant, with red-and-white flowers on 20-inch stems. For red splashed with green, try the 20-inch-tall ‘Rococo’. Plant bulbs shoulder to shoulder in a 16- or 18-inch-diameter pot, or in drifts behind white or purple violas. Before planting in mild-winter climates, chill the bulbs for six weeks.

Given regular water, these plants can last several weeks in mild climates. Paperwhites, with perfumed flowers, bloom over a two-week period. Grow the plants in a bright, cool area (in cold-winter climates, display indoors). Sunset climate zones 5-24.  

Among the first bulbs to bloom in early spring, crocuses herald the coming warmer days with their cheery purple and orange blossoms, even in poor soils. Plant masses of these along borders for a striking effect.

These pristine fall bulbs are as fresh-fragrant as they are clean. Another diminutive plant that looks best in vast swaths, lily-of-the-valley is a great choice for filling in shady spaces. Another species, C. keiskei ‘Soft Stripes’ has gorgeous variegated leaves.

Jack-in-the-pulpits are an unusual plant that grow wild in Midwestern forests, but they make an interesting specimen for Western gardens as well. With its arresting black and white inflorescence, this Japanese species of jack-in-the-pulpit makes a striking addition to a shady woodland garden. The pink and white-striped species, A. candissimum, has fragrant blooms. Plant these fall bulbs in rich, well-drained humus and they’ll bloom in spring and early summer.

Native to the Middle East and Caucasus, striped squill flower is another early-blooming fall bulb. Sleek blue stripes alight the white tepals on 4″-tall flower spikes. Give it well drained soil and it makes a lovely addition to rock gardens.

Darwin hybrids are the tallest, largest-flowered tulips. The cup-shaped blooms hold well in a vase, making them ideal for cutting. Most are in the scarlet-orange to red range, but pink, yellow, and white varieties are also available. With 2-foot stems, ‘Pink Impression’ makes the best pink. For a flame-colored Darwin hybrid, try ‘Beauty of Apeldoorn.’ ‘Daydream’ opens yellow and matures to orange. All three varieties are pretty in flower beds with blue forget-me-nots, or massed in containers. They tend to perennialize better than most tulips if they get enough winter chill (six weeks under 45°). In mild-winter areas, chill bulbs in the refrigerator for six weeks before planting.

These plants get their name not just for looking like drops of melting snow, but because they often bloom when snow is still on the ground. In the fall, bulbs can be planted in clumps along edges and borders, as well as under trees. They can also be planted in lawns; they’ll be done blooming before you need to start mowing.