Remember back to the spring, when the days were just starting to get warm. Do you remember seeing all the colorful tulips and daffodils blooming in gardens and parks everywhere? Did you think to yourself, I want some of those in my yard? Well if you want gorgeous flowers in the spring you better plant some bulbs in the fall!

Buy quality bulbs. This cannot be stressed enough. Many of the bulbs you buy at big box stores or discount centers are lower quality than those you buy at a nursery or through a reputable mail order company. You want a good size, firm bulb. The bulb contains everything that it needs to produce a beautiful flower next spring. When you think of it that way don't you want the best bulb so you have the best flowers?

Get a variety of bulbs not just one kind. For the longest bloom times, get bulbs that bloom in early springs, some for mid spring and a few for late spring. To give you an idea of bloom times, early bloomers sometimes push up through the snow and start blooming in February. The late spring ones will blossom about the same time you are getting ready to put annuals in the ground. For early blossoms crocus, daffodil and some tulips are good. Hyacinths and dwarf iris are good for mid spring, with late blooming tulips being a perfect choice for late spring blossoms.

Planting bulbs is a very easy process. Using your shovel or trowel, dig a hole that is about 3 times as deep as the bulb is wide. Or for easy reference, the hole should be about eight inches deep for tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, and 5 inches deep for crocus and dwarf iris. Make sure you have some loose soil in the bottom of the hole. Then sprinkle a tablespoon of bulb fertilizer or bone meal into the hole. Place the bulb in, with the pointed end up. Cover with the soil and you are done. Don't worry if you can't tell the top from the bottom on the bulbs. They grow even if you planted them upside down!

If you are planting a large area, dig up the whole area with your shovel, add fertilizer then place all the bulbs in at once, spacing them 10 t0 12 inches apart. Cover the bulbs with dirt and let them be. Planting bulbs this way works great if you want a natural planting area of daffodils or tulips.

Planting bulbs for spring color is almost effortless. The hardest thing you will do is decide what bulbs you want to plant!