But, if you plant Fall blooming bulbs there is no delayed gratification. In fact, these things will bloom three weeks after they are in the ground. There are two different types of fall blooming bulbs, colchicums and crocus.
Crocus looks similar to their Spring flowering cousins.
They pop up amongst the Fall leaves in shades of yellow and purple. Colchicums look like larger crocus. Both of these will typically bloom in September and October. Fall blooming bulbs are harder to find in garden centers and nurseries, so you may have to order them through mail order catalogues. Typically they are shipped out late Summer, early Fall.