Brainstorm for ideas please (lazyarse novice alert)

[Bucketsofdynomite]

Have just re-fenced, de-tree'd and cleared our garden and now have some patches in the beds to plant things. Are there any bulbs I can plant now or in the summer (when I get my B&Q vouchers for my birthday) or is Autumn bulb season?
Also, we've found lots of long windowboxy tubs in the old shed, what could I put in them?
Also, I long for a magnolia tree - any tips?
Ideas for shady and sunny patches please as we have both. I like a rainbow of colours and nothing spiky. Other than that I haven't got a clue!
Thanks for any help.

Am bit of a novice myself, but there are loads of summer flowering bulbs - lilies, crocosmia, ermm.... can't think of the names of any others, but Woolies have got loads in at the mo - and they are on 2 for 1 (well, they are in my local emporium anyway)

Annuals are always good for quick colour - there was another thread about easy to grow seeds further down - my faves are nasturtiums and love-in-a-mist cos you can just literally chuck them in the ground and they'll come up without too much trouble. They reseed themselves the following year.

HTH