I'm in the northeast and I stick with hardneck varieties because I know they grow well here and I prefer heads with a single ring of larger cloves around the center stem. And they do pack a good punch! I find that a single clove of my homegrown hardneck is equivalent to the flavor/heat of two or three cloves of typical supermarket garlic. My four are German White, Music, Spanish Roja and German Red. I'll confess to never having done a side-by-side tasting on all four, so I can't say how they differ. I do know the GW and Music tend to outlast the reds when I store them in my basement, but the reds are super easy to peel.
My mother, on the other hand, simply buys heads of garlic at the supermarket and randomly stick cloves in the ground. She's been successful in harvesting a good crop this way. I guess that's the beauty of garlic--as long as you plant it in the right conditions at the right time and keep it sufficiently watered but not over-watered, it's super easy to grow. Other than pulling the scapes, the plants really don't need much attention.
Unless you're looking for specific varieties, keep an eye out for fresh heads of garlic at local farm stands (preferably stuff they've grown themselves as I know stands around here often have bowls of store bought stuff on hand), ask what variety it is, buy a bunch, and stick some cloves in the ground at whatever time is recommended for your area.
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