Spring flowers are a welcome sight after a cold, colorless winter. What you might not realize, however, is that some spring flowers appear sooner than others. If you are impatient and want to see these colors sooner rather than later, you should consider planting some early spring flowers. Here are some of the flowers that you can consider:
* Early spring ground cover
* Early spring bulb plants
* Early spring perennials
* Early spring trees and shrubs
Early Spring Ground Cover
Creeping Phlox – This early blooming spring ground cover has small blossoms that form into clusters. When they come together, they make a very vibrant statement, and are available in a variety of colors including rose, blue, purple, white, red, lavender, and pink.
Creeping Myrtle – Similar to creeping phlox, creeping myrtle likes to grow along the ground, but technically, it is a vine plant. It has white or very light blue blooms, and the leaves are larger than creeping phlox. This flowering ground cover can hold up in many conditions, and it doesn’t require a lot of care. Creeping myrtle enjoys the shade, and it can sometimes be considered invasive.
Winter Jasmine – Another vine, winter jasmine can begin to show itself as early as March in Zone 5. The pale yellow flowers that appear when winter jasmine blooms might not be the most gorgeous on the block, but after the winter months, any type of flower can bring a smile to your face.
Early Spring Bulb Plants
Snowdrops – One of the first flowers we see, snowdrops are quite small, usually only growing a few inches tall. They can spread and become like ground cover, but they grow from a bulb. How early do snowdrops actually appear? Sometimes, there is still snow on the ground when you start to see these white flowers appear, but as the name might suggest, these early spring flowers are usually gone by summer.
Glory-of-the-Snow – Like the snowdrop, glory-of-the-snow often blooms so early in the spring that the snow is still on the ground. Unlike the snowdrop, however, which only blooms in white, glory-of-the-snow comes in pink, white, and blue. It also stands a bit taller than snowdrops, too, which make them a bit more vibrant.
Crocus – Usually the first early spring flower that people think of, the crocus usually blooms very early in the spring. They come in a variety of different colors, and different varieties have different sizes.
Siberian Squill – The Siberian squill is similar in size to the glory-of-the-snow and snowdrop in size, but some can grow as tall as 8-inches. These flowers often naturalize and often cover the yard by mid April. The flower only comes in blue, but many love the color.
Daffodils – Finally, we have the beautiful yellow daffodil. This is a tall bulb flower that tends to bloom a bit later than other early spring bulbs. They are a favorite flower of many and are well-loved thanks to the bright color and signature trumpet-shaped blooms.
Early Spring Perennials
Lenten Rose – The Lenten rose is also a tall plant, and it can grow as tall as 2 feet. This makes it one of the most noticeable early spring flowers. This flower is not actually a rose, either, but because it is so beautiful, it is a good addition to any spring garden.
Pasque flower – The pasque flower blooms around Eastertime, which is appropriate considering that “pasque” is the Old French word that refers to Easter. It has lavender colored flowers, which is also appropriate for the Easter season, and it is often used in decorations for this holiday.
Adonis – This perennial is a herbaceous plant that grows in Zones 3 to 7, and it is a very early bloomer like crocuses and snowdrops. The leaves of the Adonis plant look like ferns, and the flowers are a beautiful yellow color. Just keep in mind that the flower goes dormant in the summer, so wherever the Adonis grows, you should plan on either a big hole in your landscaping or planting some annuals to cover it up. The Adonis grows in groups and the plants can grow up to a foot tall. The flowers themselves are small, only growing 1-2 inches across. This plant enjoys full sun but tolerates partial shade, and it also needs well-drained, rich soil.
Early Spring Trees and Shrubs
Pussy Willow – You often see the pussy willow tree start to show their fuzzy presence in the winter. Though many people consider this to be a wild shrub, you can easily add this tree to your landscape. Most won’t think of the pussy willow as a “flower,” but it is certainly a sure sign of spring.
Witch Hazel – This bush is often in flower before most other bushes that bloom in the early spring. The only exception is the winter heath, which often blooms in November and keeps flowers throughout the winter and even into May. Witch hazel generally blooms at the end of winter or in the first weeks of spring.
Forsythia – When many people see the yellow blooms of the forsythia bush, they know that winter is behind them. This is one of the most popular flowering shrubs, and it is certainly an early spring bloomer.
Flowering Quince – The flowering quince blooms in a number of colors including orange, pink, red, and white. They are often paired with forsythia, and the orange and red blooms are the most popular. The blooming period of flowering quince is short, but the beauty it brings is well worth it to add to your garden.
Magnolia – The magnolia tree is a gorgeous flowering tree that produces beautiful spring flowers. The tree doesn’t get extraordinarily tall, but some types can get up to 25 feet in height. The flowers that grow from the magnolia are white or pink in color depending on the type of magnolia.