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July is the right time to plant bulbs that will flower in autumn, like crocuses, cyclamens and colchicums. These need well-draining soil because they can't handle standing water - if your garden tends to hold moisture, it's better to add sand or gravel before planting. Bulbs should be planted at a depth roughly three times their height, with the tip pointing upward. If you wait another month you can also sow chrysanthemums, which grow quickly in summer and give beautiful flowers around September-October.
As for already developed plants, pansies and astilbes are perfect to repot now, so they have time to root well before the cold. You can find them already potted at nurseries and plant them directly in the ground. Water well after planting and in the days following, especially if it's still hot, but then let the soil dry out a bit between waterings. Avoid fertilizing too much now - a dose of slow-release fertilizer at the start is fine, otherwise you'll stimulate too soft a growth that suffers with the first frosts.
The most important thing is not to wait too long: the soil needs to still be warm and moist to allow roots to take hold before the cold arrives. If you haven't prepared the soil yet, add some compost or peat to improve its structure. And keep an eye out for aphids that are still around at this time - prevention is better than cure when newly planted plants are more fragile.
I've noticed that a lot of people forget about coum cyclamen, which are even hardier than common cyclamen and flower pretty much on their own even in difficult conditions - I always put them in shaded areas where other plants won't grow. If your soil is heavy and holds moisture, also consider hellebores (Christmas rose), which by the way flower even in winter and won't give you rot problems like you might get with more delicate bulbs if you're not careful about drainage.
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