Garlic basically are bulbs. You always want to plant bulbs in the fall so that they "sleep" in the winter and bloom in the spring. I'm not sure how normal bulb-eaters like squirrels or deer feel about garlic, but any other bulbs I've planted over the years, like iris or tulips, don't make it to their second season. They're dug up and carried off.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/organic-gardening/growing-garlic-460709