Whether your garden is small or large, you can enjoy blooming plants in spring and early summer months. Consider planting a few long-flowering perennials in pots and borders. Choose pretty alpine to brighten up your space for months. Ground cover plants like colorful geraniums or camellias will add cheer throughout the spring. A camellia in a pot or border will make a stunning focal point. A succession of bulbs will also make your garden pop.
Dutchman’s breeches
If you are looking for a plant that is easy to grow and will produce flowers in early spring, Dutchman’s breeches are a great choice. This herbaceous perennial plant, native to North America, is fairly easy to maintain, but it rewards you with its distinctive blooms and interesting foliage. Planting them in your yard in the fall will give them a head start in spring.
To plant Dutchman’s breeches, you’ll need to get the seeds from a source that has already flowered. Because Dutchman’s breeches thrive in cool, shady conditions, they are ideal for areas with heavy foliage. These plants grow naturally in forests and receive filtered light. This means that you can grow them in your yard, even in the shade!
Despite its prickly appearance, Dutchman’s breeches are perennial plants that are not as difficult to grow as they look. Unlike bleeding heart, these plants are best for partial to full shade, and they also tolerate damp soil. Their flowers are a bright, white hue that hang above the finely lobed, blue-green foliage. Dutchman’s breeches are also useful in preventing syphilis and for soothing the skin.
If you’re looking for a perennial plant for your spring garden, Dutchman’s breeches are a great choice. They bloom early in the spring, and their small, white flowers are a gorgeous focal point in any woodland garden. These plants can also be used as a ground cover in a woodland garden. The flowers bloom in late April and last through mid-May.
Lily of the valley
Growing lily of the valley is easy. Planting rhizomes in standard potting soil is ideal. Lily of the valley requires a warm environment with indirect sunlight. The plant can be moved indoors from fall to spring. The rhizomes should be spaced six inches apart. If the soil is moist, water the plants frequently and divide them every few years. Divided plants are much less likely to spread than the parent plants.
When planting lily of the valley, be sure to use a well-drained, fertile soil that drains well. It doesn’t like swampy soil. Soak them in lukewarm water for about two hours before planting. To prevent over-watering, plant them a few inches apart and water thoroughly. The roots will fill in during the second growing season. Be sure to choose a soil with high levels of organic matter, and add a few inches of compost to help the plant thrive.
Another reason to plant lily of the valley in spring is its fragrance. It has a heavenly fragrance that is difficult to duplicate. According to Calice Becker, executive perfumer at Givaudan, the fragrant petals are difficult to extract. A lily of the valley plant can produce up to 15 tiny flowers in a single day. This plant’s scent is so distinctive that it is often used in perfumes.
Petunias
As the weather warms up, petunias make for great spring and summer flowers. For a long-lasting display of color, these plants can be pruned once a year, usually halfway through the growing season. Petunias should be trimmed at about the same time as you prune other plants in the garden, so as to encourage more flowering. You can also pinch the stems back to encourage branching and shape. Despite being a popular spring and summer flower, petunias are susceptible to several pests and diseases in the garden.
Fortunately, petunias are relatively trouble-free. Typical insect damage can occur, such as aphids on young stems and leaves. You can prevent the spread of the aphids by hand-squashing aphids. You can also purchase ready-to-use aphid sprays. As a member of the tomato family, petunias are susceptible to the budworm caterpillar, which feeds on the plant’s foliage and damages flower buds. This pest problem usually disappears by the end of summer.
Wave petunias are one of the best plants for spring plantings. They are a prolific perennial plant that can fill a flowerbed or spill over the sides of a hanging basket. They are also relatively low-maintenance, as they don’t need regular deadheading or pinching back of spent blooms. Petunias don’t attract many pests, but slugs can be a problem. If you’re worried about this pest problem, don’t fret; petunias can tolerate a wide range of temperatures.
Tulips
If you want to extend your gardening season, consider growing a couple of companion plants with tulips. Early-blooming bulbs such as daffodils and hyacinths make excellent companions and bridge the gap between spring bulbs and summer perennials. Crocus bulbs, for example, are smaller than tulip bulbs and can be planted in the same bed. Crocus varieties bloom later in the spring, which will allow them to bloom alongside tulips.
If you live in an area where winter temperatures are mild, planting your tulips in the late winter will still allow them to bloom the following spring. If you live in an area with a late frost risk, plant your tulips about six weeks before the last frost. While this is ideal, you can plant tulips in late winter if your garden is still getting a foothold in the season.
A beautiful and easy flower to grow, tulips look amazing in mass plantings. You can plant your tulip bulbs indoors in windowboxes or containers during the winter. Since these bulbs will stay dormant all winter, they will deliver their spring color before you plant them outdoors. Tulip bulbs can stay outside the winter in zones six and eight but should be protected from extreme cold. Tulips can be planted in groups of ten or a thousand in your garden.
Hellebores
When you’re looking for the best plants for spring, think of hellebores. These perennials have beautiful blooms that can cheer you up even in the dead of winter. They’re especially cold-hardy, surviving temperatures as low as -20oF. In cold weather, hellebores can look like pancakes. Once temperatures rise, they perk up and bloom profusely.
Historically, Hellebores were not easy to breed. In the 1800s, most breeding and selection efforts were performed overseas, by Helen Ballard, Elizabeth Strangman, John Massey, and Eric Smith. US breeding has progressed considerably since then, thanks to the efforts of many breeders. In the US, a few notable names are Glenn Withey of Washington, Charles Price of Pennsylvania, Dan Hineley of Virginia, and Oregon growers Ernie and Marietta O.Byrne and Dick Tyler of Virginia.
The genus Helleborus has many varieties and color combinations. The traditional “cottage garden” Hellebore, H. niger, is just one of the most common. It is about a foot tall and wide with dark green leaves and a lobe-like structure. It blooms in late winter or early spring. Their flowers are long-lasting and incredibly beautiful. And they tolerate shade and sun.
Chinese variety of peony
There are three ways to propagate the Chinese variety of peony plants. One method is by cuttings or sowing, while the other involves division. In most cases, peony plants need little to no fertilization in spring or summer. The Chinese variety can tolerate a moderate amount of water. A few times a year, fertilizing will help the plants keep their shape. In zones that get frequent spring rain, peony plants can survive up to one inch of rainfall per week.
Once the spring flowers begin to bud, peony plants need full sunlight, although some varieties prefer shade. If you are planting peony plants in a sunny window, morning sun will promote more blooms and afternoon shade will prevent the petals from yellowing. For trees with tall stems, support the plants by using tomato cages or other support structures. If you are growing tall peonies, cut off the foliage in the fall to prevent it from drying out.
When selecting a Chinese variety of peony plants for spring, consider the flowering season. Peony flowers are available in many colors, including deep red, silver-red, and yellow. A mature plant will produce over fifty dinner-plate-sized blossoms, depending on its variety. It will bloom in the early spring and will continue into the summer. However, the plant is not as dependable as a perennial plant, and will need care to grow well.
