Have you have ever had the desire to plant fall flower bulbs to see in the spring but aren’t quite sure how? Follow a few easy guidelines this fall to get good results next spring.

Be sure to plant at the right time in the fall, which is when you first start seeing frost at night. If you have bad soil, look into amending it before you begin planting and be certain it drains well. Make sure that you place the bulbs in an area where they will get large amounts of sunlight. Most flowers like full sun. Cultivate your soil 3 inches deeper than you plan on planting your bulbs. Pick your planting depths by the guidelines given by the bulb provider.

After you have prepared the soil for planting, you can lay out your bulbs on the area where you plan on planting them. While you are planning this out, be sure to consider the size and color of your plantings. Also be sure to plan on the times of the spring they will come up so that you will have a display for as long as possible. Before planting them, inspect your bulbs for health by looking for soft spots, mold and other signs of decay. Select and plant only the healthy flower bulbs in your garden.

When planting your bulb, dig deeper than your bulb needs to be planted to loosen the soil for strong root development. Be sure to measure the depth you are planting at so that the bulb is sufficiently protected from the winter freeze. You can purchase bulb planting tools that have depths marked on the side of them to quickly measure how deep you’re planting at. After covering your bulbs with soil, be sure to fertilize them well and then water thoroughly.

You may also want to consider using mulch to cover the area to add more protection to the bulbs from freezing conditions. Mulch also helps retain moisture through the winter months. When early spring arrives you should be sure to remove your mulch as the bulbs come up, and add fertilizer to provide best growth and flowering.