If you’ve ever admired a neighbor’s cheerful tulips in April and wondered how they pulled it off, here’s the secret: they started months ago. September is the beginning of bulb-planting season in Colorado, making it the perfect time to do a little gardening that your future self will thank you for. (Think of it as sending spring a surprise package.)

Spring-blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and ornamental alliums all need a long winter chill before they’ll burst into bloom. That means they belong in the ground in fall, not spring. As the gardening experts at Cultivating Flora explain, “The practical goal in Colorado is to plant early enough that bulbs can put down roots before deep soil freezes, but late enough that they experience the necessary cool period and avoid premature sprouting.” For most Front Range gardeners, that sweet spot is generally mid-September through October, though higher elevations should plant a bit earlier. 

Before you start digging, choose a sunny location with well-draining soil. Bulbs dislike sitting in soggy ground over winter. A good rule of thumb is to plant them at a depth about three times the height of the bulb, with the pointed end facing up. Colorado State University Extension suggests, “After the ground freezes, cover the bed with a 3-inch mulch to prevent alternate freezing and thawing that breaks roots and damages bulbs.”

Want your yard to look like a botanical garden instead of a game of floral hide-and-seek? Skip planting bulbs in perfectly straight rows. Instead, scatter them naturally across a bed and plant them where they land for a fuller, more organic display.

The best part? Once the planting is done, Mother Nature takes over. All winter long, while you’re sipping hot chocolate indoors, those bulbs will quietly be preparing one of spring’s happiest welcomes.