It's been a long, harsh season. Your garden, and your spirits, lag. But just when you despair that the garden will never return to glory, that the doldrums will drone forever, a sprightly purple crocus appears among the yellowing foliage of your waning perennial border, and your spirits suddenly leap at the joyous thought that it's . . . fall?

Yes, indeed: fall. For although crocuses and other bulbs well deserve their reputation as harbingers of spring, they merit equal celebrity as heralds of autumn. Like their spring-blooming kin, fall-blooming bulbs are admirably suited for bringing splashes of color to dull borders, or for naturalizing in woodland edge or lawn. And many go the spring-bloomers one better by flowering within weeks of planting in August or September. Years of display and instant gratification; what more could one ask?

Of the dozens of species of hardy fall-blooming crocus, none heralds autumn more exuberantly than showy crocus, Crocus speciosus . Vigorous and adaptable (it does well in sun or partial shade, tolerates most well-drained soils, and weathers practically anything fall throws its way), this native of Europe and western Asia flaunts violet, 2-inch-long flowers in September, October, and (in some cases) November. The blossoms open in sunlight to reveal orange-scarlet stigmas and yellow anthers. Among its many noteworthy cultivars are 'Albus,' a beautiful, late-blooming white selection; the October/November-blooming, pale-lavender 'Aitchisonii'; and 'Aino,' distinguished by its deep-violet-blue blooms and its superior weather-resistance. Like most hardy fall-blooming crocus, C. speciosus leafs out in spring, thus escaping winter damage.

The title of most distinctive fall-blooming crocus might very well go to iris-flowered crocus, C. banaticus. The three smallish, upright inner segments and three large, drooping outer segments of its lilac-purple flowers (borne from late September) lend them an elegant, iris-like form. Equally distinctive are its unusually broad spring leaves, which lack the central stripe typical of its kin. C. banaticus also departs from most other crocus in its love of moisture (it frequents damp meadows in nature) and its tolerance of partial shade. If that weren't enough, it is rock-hardy.

The eminent garden writer (and gardener) Elizabeth Lawrence remarked that beautiful crocus (C. pulchellus ) is "well-named, for the flowers are so adorable that it is hard to describe them without sounding foolish." Even more foolish, however, would be to forego the pleasures of this pulchritudinous species, whose rounded, fragrant, lilac-blue, orange-throated, violet-veined flowers are generously borne in October on white "stems." If happy (sun to partial shade and well-drained, not overly dry soil suit it fine), C. pulchellus and its many excellent forms (which include white 'Michael Hoog,' clear-blue 'Inspiration,' and pearly-lilac 'Zephyr') will naturalize through self-sowing. They are hardy to zone 6 or better.

And the list of outstanding fall-blooming crocus goes on: C. goulimyi ; with its lilac-blue, scented chalices in October and November; the gold-throated, September/October-blooming C. kotchyanus , hardy, vigorous, and self-sowing; C. medius , whose 2-inch-long lilac-purple blooms in October are among the showiest of the fall crocuses; and C. nudiflorus , another large, purple-flowered, September/October-blooming species, which likes moist soil. All these and more could and should be in more of our gardens, particularly in sites with the loamy, well-drained soil and full to partial sun they prefer.

Curiously, the "autumn crocus" most often seen in our gardens is not a crocus at all. Although Colchicum autumnale superficially resembling its namesake, it actually belongs not only to a different genus but also to a different family (the Colchicaceae, not the Iridaceae). But it joins the fall crocuses as one of the most outstanding ornamentals for the late-season garden, bearing goblet-shaped, lilac-pink, 1.5-inch-long flowers from late August through September. It has also given rise to many splendid cultivars, including 'Album' (white, of course) and 'Alboplenum,' with large, frilly, white, many-petaled flowers. A self-reliant species, it -- like many others of its genus -- succeeds in almost any well-drained, moisture-retentive soil in sun or partial shade, where it makes a great companion for fall-blooming woodland-edge perennials such as Japanese anemone (Anemone japonica ) and toad lily (Tricyrtis spp.). All parts of the plant are poisonous (containing the compound colchicine), but no more so than many other garden plants. Its toxicity does carry some benefits, however: it is unpalatable to most pests, including deer (although slugs will occasionally browse its buds and its leek-like, spring leaves).

Also occasionally found in American gardens is showy colchicum (C. speciosum ), which earns its moniker by abundantly producing fragrant, 3-inch chalices of raspberry-tinged purple-pink (often with white centers) in September and October on 4-inch "stems." Equally noteworthy is its cultivar 'Album,' whose pearly flowers resemble white tulips, and its many garden hybrids, of which 'The Giant' and the aptly named 'Waterlily' are the least scarce. Dozens of other laudable hybrids, however, are virtually absent from American horticulture.

Some gardeners bemoan showy colchicum's handsome, foot-long, leek-like foliage, which mantles the ground in spring before withering indecorously in early summer. Wiser hands, however, tuck C. speciosum among late-growing perennials or vigorous ground covers such as plumbago (Ceratostima plumbaginoides ), smaller hostas, ivy (Hedera helix and H. colchica) and ferns, thereby providing room for the growing (and cover for the fading) leaves. Summer annuals also make great companions.

The roster of other worthy Colchicum species is extensive. C. byzantinum -- a hybrid of C. autumnale -- has been treasured by gardeners since the 16th cenury, not least for its abundance of fragrant, lilac-pink, white-starred flowers in August and September. Its lovely form 'Album' has white, lilac-flecked blooms. Another long-cherished hybrid of C. autumnale , C. agrippinum , is similar to its parent except for its narrower, earlier leaves, purple-checkered flowers, and love of dry, sunny sites. The large, rich rosy-lilac, honey-scented blooms of C. cilicicum (and its darker-hued form 'Purpureum') come later in the season (October), as do the funnel-shaped flowers (also large, rosy, and fragrant) of C. giganteum . Equally stunning are the lilac-pink, purple-checkered blooms of C. bivonae , a parent of many garden hybrids and an outstanding plant (along with its many selections including 'Apollo') in its own right. A Mediterranean native, it (like C. cilicicum ) prefers sun and well-drained soil. And then there are C. baytopiorum and the other "small-flowered" species, many of which excel in the garden or in a cool greenhouse. Here is a genus of untold and largely untapped riches.

Sternbergia lutea is yet another fall-blooming bulb masquerading under the common name of crocus (golden crocus, in this case). One of the few yellow-flowered fall bulbs, it lifts its goblet-shaped, 2-inch-long blooms on 4-inch stalks in September and October, perfectly complementing the blue flowers of Crocus speciosus . The leaves appear immediately after bloom, and appreciate a loose mulch (such as evergreen boughs) over winter. Because of its largely Mediterranean origins, this species prefers sunny, sheltered, well-drained sites and detests summer dampness. It thus grows well in south-facing woodland edges, where the encroaching tree roots absorb excess moisture. Long known in gardens and in nature (it is thought to be the Bible's "lily of the field"), S. lutea is currently threatened in the wild, and should thus (as with all bulbs) be purchased only from reputable firms that supply nursery-propagated material. Although scarce in the trade, it (and the several other, even harder to find Sternbergia species) is well worth searching for.

Although gardeners who have previously known only the florists's cyclamen (C. persicum ) find it hard to believe, ivy-leaved cyclamen (C. hederifolium ) and several other cyclamen species (including late-winter- to spring-blooming C. coum and early-August- to October-blooming C. purpurascens ) are perfectly hardy in a well-drained, not too damp position in partial shade, their silver-mottled leaves and pink or white, backswept flowers returning for many years. The leaves of most hardy species appear in fall and persist until late spring (although C. purpurascens is nearly evergreen in moist sites). All cyclamens work well as house plants as long as they are provided cool temperatures, moderate humidity, and filtered sunlight.

Many other hardy bulbs surprise us with fall blooms. Lovers of the spring and summer snowflakes (Leucojum vernum and L. aestivum ) can enjoy an August to November flurry of the white, nodding bell-flowers of autumn snowflake, L. autumnale . Valentian snowflake (L. valentinum ) boasts larger flowers (3/4- rather than 1/2-inch), but is somewhat more tender. Squills, too, bloom in fall, most notably Scilla scilloides , whose plumy, 8-inch "spikes" of starry pink flowers appear from August through September (autumn squill, S. autumnalis , is also worth growing). The alliums have their fall-blooming contingent, among them A. thunbergii (perhaps best known in its violet-flowered cultivar 'Ozawa') and A. senescens (which includes the beautiful, spiral-leaved 'Glaucum'). There's even a fall-blooming snowdrop, Galanthus reginae-olgae , which will winter in a sheltered site. All these require light shade to full sun and well-drained soil.

So next time you're looking for something to perk up your flagging fall garden, consider the lilies of the field -- or one of the many other autumn-blooming bulbs. Then you, too, can celebrate the first crocus of fall.

This article first appeared in Fernwood Notes, the quarterly publication of Fernwood Botanic Garden, 13988 Range Line Road, Niles, Michigan. Many thanks to Fernwood for permitting its use here.