What can I plant in the fall to bloom in the spring?

Hi everyone!

I am very new to gardening and have basically been known more for killing plants/flowers than for growing them.

I live in zone 7 in the city with a very small backyard that is partial shade/partial sun. I would like to plant some things in the fall that will bloom in the spring or winter. My style is English Garden, but I need whatever I plant to be fairly easy to maintain. I would like some varying heights and colors. I love lavender, grasses, and any blue, white, light purple or yellow flowers.

The area that I must fill is in the shape of a horse shoe with a square brick patio in the center. There is also a fence marking the outline of the yard. So, in between the patio and fence, I would like to have a lush garden. Any suggestions? I'm quite lost!

Thanks so much!

There are lots of bulbs you could plant for early spring/late winter flowering: crocus, tulip, daffodill, hyacinth.

The earliest flower I know of, and which I don't think enough people know about, is Winter Aconite, Eranthis hyemalis http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/760/, a very short sweet plant with a bright yellow buttercup-like flower. I bought mine online for a very reasonable price.

Some other cute little spring flowers are Siberian squill, Scilla siberica http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/766/ which has short spikes of blue trumpet-shaped flowers and which naturalizes readily, and snowdrift, Puschkinia scilloides, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31489/, similar to Siberian squill but with white flowers, each petal having a narrow blue stripe.

Moss phlox, Phlox sublata http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Polemoniaceae/Phlox/subulata/cultivar/0/ is a cute little flower that blooms in late spring, available in various shades of pink, white, and lilac.

Talking with a good nursery person will speed up your planting, locals always know best. The best nurseries are always the small 'Mom & Pop' places. Prices do not vary alot, unless you go to the big box stores.

Picking a color scheme, using some perennial spring bulbs with summer perennials is a good way to extend the blooming season. I always plant in threes (in a triangle pattern) with the tall plants in the rear and short stuff in front.

Best of luck on your new project and remember it is a learning process, mistakes will be made.

These are all good ideas for you to get started, especially from folks who have tested and grown these plants, bulbs like Snowdrops, miniature Daffi's and crocuses planted en mass are a great way to bring colour into the garden come spring, there are more bulbs that I could mention, but the good thing about them is they stay underground all year and you can plant on to of them with things that die down over the winter as the bulbs will grow through them. good luck. WeeNel.

Nigillia (or Love-in-the-Mist) is great to plant from seed in fall and it will start comming up really early spring. No maintance, it reseeds it's self and the pods that form after they bloom are great for dried flowers...