Fall Planting Ideas: Bulbs and Peas

5 Brightest Bulbs!

Do your passionate fall plantings show up as anemic spring displays—or not at all? We asked the experts to find beautiful (and dependable) bulbs to brighten your yard at the first hints of spring. Here are five spectacular picks from sustainable gardener and flower-grower Yolanda Vanveen.

1. Glory of the Snow: Bright blue, star-shaped flowers do best in cold climates.

2. Allium Purple Sensation: Gorgeous reddish-violet balls burst atop 20-inch stems.

3. Tulip Princess Irene: Brilliant orange and purple flowers sport short, sturdy stems ideal for windy areas.

4. Daffodil Sir Winston Churchill: Fragrant white blooms adorn one of the best flower bulbs for the Deep South.

5. Checkered Lily: Fun flower with nodding bell-shaped blossoms on silvery-green foliage is deer resistant.

It’s a Snap!

No bugs, no weeds, no sweat—fall is the perfect season for sowing a cool-weather crop of nutritious snap peas for snacks, salads, or stir-fries.

Step 1: About six weeks before time runs out to grow plants outdoors (check local frost dates at almanac.com), get a round or square planter—the bigger, the better—and place it in a spot that gets at least six hours of sun each day. Fill it with commercial potting soil, leaving room for another inch of dirt.

Step 2: Purchase a packet or two of sugar snap pea seeds and four 4-ft stakes. Sprinkle peas over soil and cover with additional inch of potting soil.

Step 3: Tie stakes together with twine to form a teepee, and insert into soil to support climbing plants. Keep moist, then enjoy your cool-weather crop.