The best time to plant your flower bulbs is during fall. They need the winter chill before they are ready to flourish and bloom in the spring.

Spring flower bulbs have it in their genes to come back year after year and make for a luxurious display come springtime. They’re the earliest flowering plant. But what do you do if you want to plant spring bulbs when you’ve heard that they have to lie dormant for a time to winterize?

You’ll need to fool them. You can do that by putting them in the refrigerator crisper for 6 weeks to a few months to trick them. Use a ventilated bag keeping the bulbs away from other vegetables. When the soil temperature outside begins to reach 60 degrees, it’s time to plant them.

Make a hole large enough for the bulb and the roots to spread. Soft soil is better than hard ground when planting. Water thoroughly. If you’re transferring a plant from a potted plant, make sure the bulb is planted at the same depth in the hole as it was in the container. If you plant them early enough you should see them bloom. If you wait till late spring you’ll perhaps have to wait till next year to enjoy them.

Another idea is to force the bulbs in pots and planters. You can even give some away as gifts. The bulbs can be put into vermiculite to grow or a water medium with pebbles. Adding fertilizer to the water will help the plants grow and you should see green shoots within a few weeks. In three weeks you should see the first blooms appearing. Popular bulb plants are Tulips, Crocus, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Paperwhites, Amaryllis, and Narcissus.