Though flowers can bloom any time of year, it’s easy to imagine French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy had spring in mind when he proclaimed, “Each year you rediscover in a garden the magic of life. A flower arrives and it is a miracle.” Indeed the season of rebirth draws us outdoors to spend more time in our garden. And we aren’t the only ones welcoming what the warmer temperatures bring forth. Birds fly back from their annual journey south, and bees and some butterflies emerge from hibernating in search of the nectar they crave. Rabbits and deer may also reappear in your yard.
Flowering trees, shrubs, and vines put forth buds, and bulbs and corms send up tender green shoots to greet the sun. Splashes of yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, blue, and every shade of green dot the landscape. Intoxicating scents from heady magnolia to subtle snowdrop fill the air. The mix of textures in a well-designed garden invites a closer look and even a gentle caress of feathery, fernlike foliage and fringed petals. Enjoy nature’s show and keep your eyes open for these beautiful flowers that bloom in spring. And consider how to incorporate a few favorites in your garden—whether it be a shade garden, rock garden, moon garden, container garden, cottage garden, or woodland garden—so you and passersby can marvel at their natural beauty next year. Here, our favorite early spring flowers.
1
Daffodil
The very word daffodils conjures images of ubiquitous masses of cheery yellow trumpet-like flowers announcing the arrival of spring year after year. But these hardy perennials come in various colors (including white, orange, and pink), shapes (including small– and large-cupped and double blooms), and sizes (including miniature and dwarf varieties).
2
Pasqueflower
This early bloomer from the buttercup family gets its name from the Old French word for “Easter,” since it appears around the holiday in some locations. Perky purple pasqueflowers prefer cooler, drier climates and higher elevations. If planting in a garden border, place this perennial near the front, as it grows to only a foot high.
3
Magnolia Tree
In early spring this majestic tree boasts large, fragrant cuplike flowers in shades of white, yellow, pink, or purple at its branch tips. The most prevalent type is the southern magnolia (though best suited for Zones 7–9, it flourishes in a broad range of climates). It reaches up to 90 feet, bearing creamy blossoms up to 10 inches in diameter.
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4
Snowdrop
Among the earliest bloomers in February or March, snowdrop (as its name implies) can sometimes be spotted pushing up through a layer of snow. Its distinctive nodding white bells dangle among narrow leaves. The petite perennial herb stands three to six inches tall and grows well in partially shaded locations.
5
Crocus
Some crocuses bloom almost as early as snowdrops. These ground-hugging perennial plants produce tube-shaped pink, purple, yellow, or white flowers. Spring crocuses symbolize rebirth, joy, hope, and fresh beginnings. Use them in a rock garden, in front of shrubs, or to line a sidewalk with a pop of color.
6
Spring Beauty
Have a shady, hard-to-plant spot in your yard? Fill it with a mass planting of Claytonia virginica, or spring beauty. This delicate pink-striped flower with grassy foliage pops up in early spring.
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7
Creeping Phlox
Also known as mountain pink or moss phlox, creeping phlox forms a pastel carpet of little flowers that often spill across lawns or pour over rock walls. The blue, purple, pink, or white massed blooms appear in early spring but don’t last long—just two weeks or so.
8
Winter Jasmine
Unlike most jasmines, this perennial flowering vine lacks a sweet scent, but it bears plentiful pale yellow blooms from midwinter until April. Use it as a cover plant on sunny hillsides, or provide a wall, fence, or other structure for this fuss-free plant to climb up to 15 feet.
9
Candytuft
While its name sounds sweet, candytuft’s scent is not the most pleasant. Add this woody subshrub to your moon garden with its sharp contrast of profuse white or pink blooms and emerald green foliage. The clusters of four-petaled flowers are a sight to behold for several weeks from March to May.
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10
Stewartstonian Azalea
Azaleas are among the most popular spring flowers in North American landscaping. The Stewartstonian azalea flaunts showy clusters of bright orange-red flowers in April. This medium-sized, low-spreading bush is great for mixed shrub borders and attracting bees to your garden.
11
Camellia
Camellias grow well alongside other flowering shrubs like rhododendrons and azaleas because they have similar soil and sunlight needs. Most varieties of this evergreen shrub show out for several weeks sometime from fall until midspring, brimming with stunning roselike blooms in shades of pink, red, and white. Smaller cultivars that top out between three and eight feet are good for growing in containers.
12
Tulip
This popular perennial is among the oldest cultivated plants and was once a symbol of the Ottoman Empire. Tulips come in every color of the rainbow (except true blue) as well as a range of shapes and sizes. In cold-winter climates they typically spring up in March and open from April to May.
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13
Bleeding Heart
A classic cottage garden staple, bleeding heart is quick to come up in spring. With dark pink or white blooms resembling dainty heart-shaped charms, this old-fashioned perennial is said to symbolize unrequited or rejected love, as well as love and romance in general.
14
Flowering Dogwood
This small bushy tree’s eye-catching white, pink, or red “flowers,” which appear from May to June, are actually bracts—modified leaves that look like petals. Flowering dogwood's tiered horizontal branching provides visual interest year-round, especially when planted in the shade.
15
Fothergilla
If you are looking for a blooming shrub that thrives in the shade, then look no further than Fothergilla. This compact deciduous shrub produces profuse honey-sweet bottlebrush-like spikes of white spring flowers.
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16
Mountain Laurel
In late May to early June, clusters of what look almost like tiny stars dot this dense rounded shrub. Mountain laurel's amazing blooms are usually rosy, pink, or white. It’s a good choice for mass plantings in shady shrub borders or woodland gardens.
17
Iris
With their large crepe-paper petals and intricate bloom perched atop long stems, irises are a must-have in mixed flower borders. These perennials unfold from late spring into summer in colors including white, blue, purple, orange, yellow, and pink.
18
Virginia Bluebells
Though they begin as pink buds, Virginia bluebells turn into dangling clusters of tubular sky blue flowers with a subtle, sweet fragrance. This native wildflower is found in moist woodlands and river floodplains and visited by the first bees and butterflies of the year. A perennial spring ephemeral, it goes dormant and disappears about three weeks after it flowers.
