The trick will be finding any bulbs for sale right now. It is very late in the season. On the other hand, if you ask around, you very well could find some. Just be sure the bulbs are firm and heavy feeling for their size. If they're dry and light feeling, or soft, they are probably dead. At any rate, don't count on them blooming this year. They may, but again, it's late, and they won't have alot of time to do all the growing they need to do before hot weather arrives.

Honestly, you'd be better off to use the warm mild days that come periodically right now to begin laying out your beds, digging them, and putting in lots of good soil amendments (peat moss, leaves, grass clippings, manure, etc.). If you get that done and it has a few weeks to settle and "cook", anything you plant come spring will just take off like a rocket. You really don't have a ton of time. Warm weather will begin arriving regularly by early March, and spring planting time for almost everything is mid April. Think, plan, and prep now. You'll thank yourself when the hot weather arrives.

We built our house just five years ago, so this is the process we've been working ever since. Do it right. You won't regret it.

P.S. I know how badly you will want some lovely spring color as soon as possible. So...here's an idea. I was in Wal Mart this week and they were already getting in pots of spring bulbs that were up and full of bloom buds. Why not buy some of those and transplant them into some nice pots on your porch? For example, you could plant a pot of five or six blue hyacinths in the middle of say a fourteen inch diameter planter, then a ring of miniature daffodils around them (say 4 six inch pots full). You can always find pansies. Transplant a dozen or so of them on the outer edges of your planter or in between the daffodils (or sprinkle some blue lobelia seeds around the edge, or both). Water it all in, and enjoy for the spring. You'll be amazed at how two planters (or even just one) will lift your spirits. Let the bulb foliage stand and turn yellow come spring (but you can move the pot away from the front door if you want), and then lift the bulbs and plant them in your beds you'll have planned and prepped by then. They'll come back next year right on schedule.

Thank you, donnabaskets! I am taking your advice!

It is good advice. When they build houses, the topsoil is usually either scraped away or covered up with subsoil when the basement is dug. Very few things will grow happily in that. Best to set up a few pretty containers on your porch. Spend your first spring mixing several loads of compost into the top 12" of the soil on your property.

Cherice, I'm not familiar with weather patterns you experience in a zone 8 setting. Bulbs for your needs are pre-cooled by the dealer or by the producer for sale at their most opportune time. Always think when the bulbs are in your nurseries and garden centers its the proper time to plant.
By speaking with nurserymen, ask about when they expect to have their supply of bulbs (spring and summer flowering) in stock and then write across your calendar month....

BUY BULBS, PLANT BULBS.
This way, you will know when it is the best time to plant and the best time to purchase them.
The early bird gets the worm......the early purchaser gets the best bulbs.

Actually, most bulbs are not pre cooled for the deep south, though some (tulips and hyacinths, for example) will need to be chilled by you. Daffodils are among those that do not need pre-chilling. However, if you want them to keep coming back for many years to come, you must choose the varieties you plant with a certain amount of care. Unfortunately, just because it's sold in the south, doesn't mean it will grow successfully in the south for more than three years or so. It really pays to do some research before spending your hard-earned money. There are some excellent books on the subject, and, if you mail order your bulbs, some of the better bulb companies are a good source of information. (Brent and Becky's is especially good, because they grow daffodils in the south, but you have to CALL and ask for this information.)

Planting time in the south is a little more subjective too. Although bulbs are available for purhcase beginning as early as September, the optimal time to plant is when the ground has cooled, which for us, is about mid November. By all means, buy the bulbs early. Selection is best, and you'll treat them better: store in a cool, dark place, not out on the broiling hot patio at Wal-Mart.

Good luck!