"Can someone explain th basics of how bulbs work to a newbie"

That's a pretty tall order!! There are many, many different kinds of bulbs that flourish under different conditions and bloom at different times so it's difficult to generalize other than to say that well draining soil is pretty much a requirement for any bulb.

As to the anemone - anemone blanda is not really a bulb but a tuberous rooted, spreading perennial. One can purchase and plant the tubers (pips) in fall - the preferred time for most spring blooming, bulb-like plants - or you can plant starts in spring when they appear in nurseries. Early spring (February/March in my area) is when they bloom so planting the pips at that time will not result in blooms immediately nor are they likely to bloom until the appropriate time the following year.

These prefer a partially shaded area with a rich, well draining soil and even moisture. They will spread freely if happily sited to form a dense, mat-like groundcover. Like many spring blooming bulb-like plants, they are summer dormant and disappear during the hotter weather to reappear again in early spring.