Want to make your future self happy? Plant spring flowering bulbs. Then come February or March, you'll see new life just when the mud and the chill have you stir crazy. It's not time to plant bulbs yet, but it is time to plan for them and order them.

There are lots more kinds of spring bulbs than you'll find in a big box store, and you can plan your bulbs so you have something blooming from late February through May. You're probably familiar with daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips, and you may also know some of the earlier, small bulbs like glory-of-the-snow or grape anemones. But there are lots of varieties of each of these, and more. I'll start with Daffodils:

Daffodils last for years and squirrels don't like them. This makes them very desirable. There are eleven different categories of daffodil (botanically, Narcissus) and within each category, lots of varieties. The categories have names – Trumpet, Large Cupped, Small Cupped, Double, Triandrus, Cyclaminues, Jonquilla, Tazetta, Poeticus, Bulbocodium, and Split-Corona. In addition to these, there are two miscellaneous categories, one for plants that just don't fit, and one for wild narcissus. Each of these categories has plenty of sub-varieties, or cultivars (a word that comes from 'cultivated variety.') If you've been buying bulbs from a big box store, you'll be pleased with what's available to you beyond the familiar yellow ones.

For very early blooms, plant "February Gold.' It's only about 6-8" tall, so you want to plant it where you can see it easily. It has petals that curve back and it will cheer you up in late winter. If you're looking for it in a catalog, it's a Cyclamineus type.

Mid spring flowering are the more familiar Trumpet, Large-Cupped, and Small-Cupped Daffodils, but these also come in lots of different cultivars. They may be creamy yellow with orange cups, like 'Ambergate' or they may be virtually all white, like 'Ice Follies." More unusual varieties for this time period include the Split Corona (or Split-Cupped) varieties.

Mid-late spring bloomers include the Tazetta group, which have multiple flowers on each stem. Another is the Triandrus Daffodil. These also have more than one flower on each stem. Depending on the variety you buy, they may be short ('Hawera,') or tall ('Thalia,' 'Petrel,' and 'Tresamble'). They tend to be very fragrant.
The best place to buy bulbs, I think, is on line. There are lots of good on-line retailers whose catalogs are feasts for the studying. You can search for 'spring flowering bulbs' and get plenty of references. It's also smart to visit the website of your state's extension service to see what bulbs are hardy in your state. For example, I went to the University of Georgia Extension website and started getting serious zone envy at the list of bulbs that do well there. The Daffodil society's website at http://daffodilusa.org/index.html has lots more information.

Plant daffodils in fall while soil is still warm enough for good root development. Soil should be rich in organic material. Plant in full sun, part shade, or even under trees. Plant the bulbs 1 ½ times as deep as the depth of the bulb itself; when in doubt, plant deeper.

I'll post more about tulips, alliums, small early-flowering bulbs, and bulb planting in future blogs. In the meantime, happy catalog surfing.