I am sure you will get lots of suggestions, but the one that comes to mind right now would be cosmos. They are an annual, very easy to grow from seed, and bloom all summer long. They also come in many different colors. I don't think they are very fussy as to soil, so a raised bed would be optional for them, but they would appreciate some compost mixed into the top 8 inches of clay. Lois in PA Here is a link that might be useful: Here is a link to some examples.

my, my.... forget about your garage .... put your car in it.. it is not temperature nor humidity controlled... when you get that week of 60's in February .. like we do EVERY winter in MI .... it will be 70 to 80 in your garage ... try to imagine this temperature spike... and its effects on potted stock ... winter is MI's driest season in my estimate.. because all the moisture is tied up in ice and snow ... a greenhouse is so much different than a garage ... more humidity ... doors stay closed... temps are tempered by the soil .. etc ... the ONLY way you can mail order from warmer climes.. at this time of year ... is if the stock is already dormant ... had you contemplated this in September... then it could have hardened off properly .... stock ACTIVELY growing in CA .... is going to be shocked .. perhaps too greatly .. to prosper over winter ... its not an issue of frozen ground.. its an issue of properly 'hardening off' .... if you could get the same thing at the local treefarm .. it is already hardened off .... make sense???? i wouldn't mail order from any zone higher than my own .. this time of year ....... ken PS: yes.. i know there are peeps who use their garage .... etc .... if money is no object... and you don't care if you lose it.. etc.. go for it... 50/50 chance of success .... find some stuff in your yard.. pot it up.. and see how it does in the garage this winter... then maybe next year you will have a learning curve and be willing to try other stuff in the garage ...

When I put in freesias I just dug away an area and placed them all and then carefully covered them, no individual holes dug. Since you have different depths for your types you have, you can layer them. You hyacinth and tulip would be deeper than crocus and freesia. I'm not sure about digging any up in your area, someone else will know, but if you do dig them you wouldn't want to layer them. I would allow some space for naturlizing if it is a concern to you. You will want to plant the shorter ones in front so they can be seen compared to others blooming at the same time. I think your watering is WAY more than they need and they will rot. I water mine once a day 5am for 5 minutes in summer and less often during winter. Depends on your soil and how sun, wind etc you get also. I'm just stingy with water being in a drought. ps-good luck in keep crocus around if you've got squirrels, chicken wire placed near top of soil would help though.

I hardly planted any bulbs this year. I usually plant them in October, though, in the past, I planted daffodils in the early November too. They did just fine. As you said, as long as the ground is not frozen. Good luck with your daffies! That's quite a lot and I can imagine they'll look spectacular next spring. Please share the photo when they bloom next year.