Plant Bulbs Now, Enjoy Flowers Later

There are a number of ways to work bulb plants into your yard: Cluster up to half a dozen of them in a large hole to add a colorful punch amid flower beds and shrub borders; plant them in rows where space is tight; encircle the base of a tree for a flower-filled focal point; or, if your yard borders woodland, scatter them and plant them where they fall for naturalistic drifts of color. If you're going to row- or scatter-plant, here's a tip: "I always plant doubles," says Roger Cook. "That way, you get more foliage and flowers for your digging efforts."

Choose varieties that bloom at different times during the season, and you can extend your spring-flowering garden for several weeks.

When you're ready to break ground, grab a trowel (or a spade shovel where soil is very compacted), a 10-10-10 fertilizer, and some bags of bulbs, then follow these steps.