Daffodils are the easiest of the fall-planted, spring-blooming bulbs to grow, and now is the perfect time to put them in the ground.

When I think of daffodils, a bright yellow trumpet-shaped flower springs to mind, but there are more options in the Narcissus genus. Daffodils may be white, and many have one color of petal with a different color cup in the middle, ranging from pink to an almost-red orange.

Daffodil bulbs are poisonous, which means that deer, raccoons and squirrels are not going to dig them up and eat them as soon as you plant. Plus, the bulbs multiply over the years. Leave them where you plant them, and the patch will grow bigger, with more flowers. Or, dig up a patch that has overgrown its space and transplant the bulbs into other areas in the yard.

Plant the bulbs in a hole about three times the height of the bulb – usually 6 inches. If you are planting a lot of bulbs, use a shovel. If doing just a few, a trowel or specialized bulb planter does fine. If you want, you can mix in a handful of bulb fertilizer when you back-fill the hole, but the bulbs have enough energy stored in them to produce flowers for a couple of years even if your soil is sterile.

You can sometimes find nice bulbs cheaply at the big box stores, but you stand a better chance of bloom for years to come if you purchase big, firm daffodil bulbs from your local nursery or reputable online specialist.