Fall bulbs to plant for spring flowers in zone 5b

Springtime flowers are a beautiful way to be reminded of the upcoming warm seasons. Depending on the kinds of flowers planted, you can see blooms begin to form just as snow begins to melt, and with planning, you can stagger bloom times throughout the spring and early summer. Daffodils and tulips are easily thought of as bulbs that break through the soil in spring, but looking a little bit more in depth, there are many kinds of flowers that can be planted in autumn for a springtime show. For a technicolor display throughout the beginning of next year, try planting some of the bulbs listed below, as recommended by the University of Illinois Extension:

1) Giant Flowering Onion - Allium giganteum

Giant Flowering Onion - Allium giganteum

How to Plant: bulb; plant 6 to 8 inches deep and one foot apart in the fall

Habit: upright in foliage and flower

Foliage: bluish gray; strap-shaped; 18 inches long; 2 to 4 inches wide

Flower: pinkish purple; borne in dense globe-shaped cluster 4 to 6 inches across; flower stalk 3 to 4 feet tall; late spring to early summer

Culture: ordinary soil; full sun or partial shade; dramatic in flower - plant in clusters of 5 to 7 bulbs; usually planted in back of the perennial border; long-lasting as cut flower

2) Grecian Windflower, Green Anemone - Anemone blanda

Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) Zone 6

How to Plant: tuberous root; plant 2 to 3 inches deep and 3 to 4 inches apart

Habit: mounded; less than 6 inches

Foliage: 1 or 2 dark green basal leaves; divided; dies down by midsummer

Flower: no true petals - has petal-like sepals; daisy-like flowers 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide; white, pinkish, blue and white; early spring

Culture: humus-rich, loamy soil; tolerated high pH; partial shade and protection from wind prolongs flowering

3) Glory-of-the-Snow - Chionodoxa luciliae

Glory-of-the-Snow - Chionodoxa luciliae

Family: Liliaceae (Lily) Zone 4

How to Plant: bulb; plant 3 inches deep and 3 inches apart in fall

Habit: upright; 3 to 6 inches

Foliage: grasslike; dark green; 2 leaves per stem

Flower: blue with white center; about 5 in a cluster; each flower 1 inch across; star-like flowers borne on a reddish stalk that extends above foliage; early spring

Culture: ordinary, well-drained soil; suitable for under-planting deciduous shrubs; plant in masses for immediate effect; will multiply slowly by self seeding

4) Crocus - Crocus species

Family: Iridaceae (Iris) Zone 4

How to Plant: corm; plant 3 inches deep and 4 inches apart in fall

Habit: upright; 6 inches

Foliage: grasslike; dark green; curved; silver striped down center of leaf; leaves shorter than flowers, then expand to 8 to 12 inches after flowering

Flower: 1 1 /2 to 8 inches long; white, yellow, purple or striped; usually borne singly; close at night or on cloudy days; spring

Culture: plant in well-drained soil; full sun or partial shade; may be naturalized in lawns if foliage is allowed to ripen properly

Note: There are 3 main groups of crocus: C. chrysanthus (Golden Crocus) flowers very early and has small flowers; C. vernus (Dutch Crocus) is most popular and has larger flowers (many named cultivars of crocus are in this group); the third group is comprised of botanic species, that tend to have small, brightly colored flowers. There are Crocus species that flower in autumn.

5) Winter Aconite - Eranthis hyemalis

Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) Zone 4

How to Plant: tuber; plant 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in early fall; soak tubers overnight before planting

Habit: upright; 3 to 8 inches

Foliage: basal; long petioles; deeply divided; leafy bract situated immediately under flower; actual foliage develops as flowering ends; dies down in summer

Flower: solitary; one inch across; yellow petallike sepals; very early spring

Culture: partial shade to full sun; well-drained, moist soil; plant in masses; good for naturalizing; will self-sow

6) Checkered Lily, Guinea-Hen Flower - Fritillaria meleagris

Checkered Lily, Guinea-Hen Flower - Fritillaria meleagris

Family: Liliaceae (Lily) Zone 4

How to Plant: bulb; plant 4 to 6 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in early fall

Habit: erect; 9 to 15 inches

Foliage: few, alternate leaves; linear; 3 to 6 inches long

Flower: drooping; usually solitary; white or mottled and veined with bronze, gray, purple and white; 1-1/2 inches long; spring

Culture: full sun or light shade; moist, well-drained soil; propagate by dividing after foliage ripens

Note: Arelated species, F. imperialis (Crown Imperial), bears several pendant flowers atop a 2 to 4 foot stalk with a tuft of leaves at the top of the stalk; flowers are bright yellow or orange.

7) Common Snowdrop - Galanthus nivalis

Family: Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis) Zone 4

How to Plant: bulb; plant 3 inches deep and 3 inches apart in fall

Habit: upright; 6 to 8 inches

Foliage: 2 to 3 leaves; 1/4 inch wide; 6 inches long

Flower: white except for green crescent around the notch of inner floral segments; external floral segments longer than inner ones; flower drooping; 1/2 inch across; borne on slender stalk; very early spring; cultivars may have more green in flowers or be doubled

Culture: partial to full shade; moist, well-drained soil with high organic matter; naturalize in large drifts; propagate by dividing clumps immediately after flowering

8) Common Hyacinth - Hyacinthus orientalis

Family: Liliaceae (Lily) Zone 5

How to Plant: bulb; plant 7 inches deep and 6 to 9 inches apart in fall

Habit: upright; 12 inches

Foliage: 4 to 6 basal leaves; strap-shaped; margins upturned; 1 inch wide and up to 12 inches long

Flower: many flowers in showy, crowded, terminal raceme; individual flowers about 1 inch across; very fragrant; yellow, rose, pink, blue, salmon and white; mid-spring

Culture: full sun; good drainage; fertile soil amended with organic matter and sand; remove spent flower stalks; floral display gradually decreases each year - dig and discard bulbs as necessary; flowers too rigid for naturalizing; many named cultivars available

9) Dutch Hybrid Iris - Iris hybrids

Dutch Hybrid Iris - Iris hybrids

Family: Iridaceae (Iris) Zone 6

How to Plant: bulb; plant 5 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in the fall

Habit: upright; 1-1/2 to 2 feet

Foliage: leaves almost cylindrical; up to 2 feet long; tips of leaves may tend to die back

Flower: 1 or 2 flowers; 3 to 4 inches across; white, yellow, orange, bronze, blue, purple or bicolor; late spring

Culture: full sun; well-drained soil; dry, warm soil in summer is ideal; good for forcing indoors

Note: Dutch Hybrid Iris originated by crossing Spanish Iris (Iris xiphium) with several other Iris species; Dutch Iris is a common cut flower used by florists

10) Common Grape Hyacinth - Muscari botryoides

Family: Liliaceae (Lily) Zone 4

How to Plant: bulb; plant 3 inches deep and 4 inches apart in early fall

Habit: upright; 6 to 12 inches

Foliage: 6 to 8 basal leaves; up to 12 inches long and 1/3 inch wide; dark green on lower surface; appear in autumn and remain green through winter; dormant in summer

Flower: 12 to 20 flowers in terminal cluster on leafless flower stem; each flower urn shaped and drooping; blue or white; 1/8 inch long; early spring

Culture: fertile, sandy soil in full sun or partial shade; plant in masses for best effect

Note: Arelated species, M. armeniacum, self seeds more aggressively and is more invasive.

11) Daffodil, Narcissus, Jonquil - Narcissus species

Family: Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis) Zone varies

How to Plant: bulb; plant 6 inches deep and 6 to 12 inches apart (smaller species bulbs require more shallow placement)

Habit: upright; 6 to 24 inches

Foliage: about 3/4 inch wide; up to 15 inches long; shiny green

Flower: one or several flowers to a stalk; 6 lower segments white or yellow; trumpet long and tubular or short and cuplike, white, pink, yellow, orange and orange-red; flowers single or double; extremely variable - Narcissus are grouped into 12 named divisions; early spring to spring

Culture: well-drained soil enriched with organic matter; divide every fourth year after leaves have died; easy to grow; remove faded flowers so they don’t set seeds

Note: The name daffodil applies primarily to flowers with large trumpets and can be used for all members of the genus; the name jonquil originally applied only to N. jonquilla, but now is usually applied to all jonquilla daffodils of garden origin (Division 7); the name narcissus is derived from the genus name Narcissus.

12) Siberian Squill - Scilla siberica

Siberian Squill - Scilla siberica

Family: Liliaceae (Lily) Zone 4

How to Plant: bulb; plant 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in early fall

Habit: upright; 6 inches

Foliage: 2 to 5 grasslike, basal leaves; 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide; blunt tipped and bright green

Flower: deep blue; bell shaped; 1/2 inch wide; in loose cluster of 3 to 5; 1 to 6 flower stems per plant; early spring

Culture: fertile, sandy soil in sun or partial shade; useful under deciduous shrubs and trees; plant in large masses for best effect; tend to colonize over time; suitable for naturalizing in the lawn (foliage matures quickly before turfgrass needs cutting)

13) Tulip - Tulipa species

Family: Liliaceae (Lily) Zone varies

How to Plant: bulb; plant 4 to 8 inches deep and 4 to 8 inches apart in fall; deep planting (within reason) discourages bulbs multiplication and encourages good-sized flowers for several years; species tulips usually require shallower planting

Habit: upright or clumped; 6 to 30 inches

Foliage: usually basal; thick bluish green; untoothed; 6 to 10 inches long; Kaufmanniana and Greigii hybrids often have burgundy-or purple-mottled leaves

Flower: usually solitary; erect; saucer-shaped; total of 6 petals and sepals (except doubles); multitude of colors and flower forms (there are over 400 named cultivars: common classes are Mendel, Fosteriana hybrids, Kaufmanniana hybrids, Greigii hybrids, Triumph, Darwin hybrid, Lily-flowered, Cottage, Rembrandt, Parrot, Double-flowered and Species tulips); early spring to spring

Culture: well-drained, sandy, humus-rich soil in full sun or partial shade; plant in masses; bulbs may be moved or discarded in midsummer after foliage has withered; some gardeners plant new bulbs each year; remove faded flowers to avoid seed set