Here are 34 great recommended plants for spring blooms, ranging from ground-hugging groundcovers to towering trees.
confirm to plant cultivars that are rated to be dependably hardy in yourUSDA cold hardiness zone.
Several named cultivars are available, offering different shades of pale yellow, bright yellow, or deep yellow-orange.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
It flowers very early, from February to March, depending on location.
The shrubs need at least four hours of sunlight daily and afternoon shade in places with scorching summers.
Keep their soil moist, acidic, and fertile for them to grow well.
Wilfried Martin / Getty Images
They arebest planted in the spring or early fall.
Growth rates vary by species, but most azaleas are relatively slow-growing.
The main distinguishing feature of these subcategories is their stature, although they also vary somewhat in bloom time.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Read plant labels carefully so you understand what key in of iris you are buying.
The many different types of columbines make it hard to choose just one.
Keep in mind that columbine readily cross-pollinates.
Liudmyla Liudmyla / Getty Images
If you plant more than one variety, be prepared to see new colors and combinations.
If columbine is sown in the spring, it will not bloom the first year.
If you plant columbine in the fall, however, it will bloom the following spring.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
Periwinkle makes a good cover plant for spring bulbs, which typically have faded by the time periwinkle blooms.
Periwinkle is invasive is some areas, but it is not particularly difficult to remove.
Plants rarely grow more than six inches tall, spreading up to two feet in width.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
Phlox will sometimes rebloom if sheared back after the first flowers fade.
Daffodil
With daffodils, you are pressed for choice.
No wonder daffodils are among the most popular, easy-growing spring-flowering perennial bulbs.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
They are great entry-level plant for novice gardeners developing their green thumbs.
Daffodils thrive in climates with chilly winters and naturalize over time.
In warm climates, daffodils are often sold as prechilled bulbs and planted as annuals.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The small, oblong, light green leaves are evergreen in warm climates.
Daphne usually forms a very nice rounded mound.
Varieties such as ‘Carol Mackie’ are especially prized for their variegated foliage.
The Spruce / Nadia Hassani
Some varieties will spill over pots, and others tend to grow more upright.
Diascia is usually grown as an annual flower, growing 6 to 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide.
The pantaloon-shaped blooms generally appear in March.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
As is true of many spring flowering shrubs, the flowers precede the foliage.
The pink flowers generally appear in April.
Don’t confuse flowering almond with the plant that bears almond nuts (Prunus dulcis).
Scott T. Smith / Getty Images
Flowering almond is a good choice for shrub borders and woodland gardens.
Forsythia is best used when grouped in shrub borders, but it also makes a good hedge shrub.
These plants grow somewhat rampantly and might require occasional rejuvenation pruning.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The general rule of thumb is that forsythia starts to bloom when the soil temperature reaches 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some varieties, including the popular dwarf fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’ have spectacular autumn foliage.
The frothy flowers do not have petals, but instead have white stamens and yellow anthers.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Foxgloves come in different sizes, from 2 to 5 feet in height.
Stake the taller types to prevent them from flopping over.
After flowering, the plant becomes somewhat scraggly and is best removed at this point.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
Hyacinth
Katrin Ray Shumakov / Getty Images
Hyacinths are some of the easiest-to-grow perennial spring bulbs.
They will come back every year, though their flowers will diminish in vigor after a few seasons.
For the strongest and farthest-reaching scent, grow hyacinth in large groups.
fotolinchen / Getty Images
Hyacinth flowers also mix well with other spring-blooming bulbs.
Hyacinths grow 6 to 12 inches tall.
Taller varieties tend to flop.
Aimintang / Getty Images
Either stake individual plants or few, or plant them closer together so that they support one another.
Because this color occurs on sepals (not the petals), it’s quite long-lasting.
It is a good plant for woodland locations or planted beneath shade trees or large shrubs.
Katrin Ray Shumakov / Getty Images
Lily of the Valley
The old-fashioned lily of the valley is an iconic spring flower.
Its petite, fragrant, bell-shaped white flowers rise on long stems from the leaf clumps in spring.
Star magnolia has white flowers, unlike the saucer magnolia andJane magnolia, both of which bloom in pink.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The flowers are rich with nectar that attracts butterflies and other pollinators.
The flowers have almost heart-shaped, overlapping petals in bright colors or bi-colors, often with face-like center markings.
Pansies are short-season perennials but they are usually grown as annuals.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
In zones with mild winters, they can be grown as biennials.
In the garden, they complement spring-flowering bulbs, blooming as the bulb foliage begins to fade.
When buying nursery plants, choose pansies that are stocky, bushy, and have plenty of buds.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla vulgarisis a compact perennial (8 to 12 inches) that will eventually spread.
The lavender flowers that appear in April to May are so fitting for an Easter color scheme.
But happily, the Easter bunny will leave them alone because the pasque flower israbbit-proof.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Pussy Willow
The furry catkins of the pussy willow are one of spring’s earliest harbingers.
Species varieties are generally purple or white, but cultivars are available in shades of yellow or gold.
For the best impact, plant them in large groups or naturalized drifts.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Rabbits are also quite fond of eating crocus foliage.
Although sweet alyssum is nearly unmatched for ease of care, it should be planted with caution.
Tulip
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
Tulips fill spring gardens with every color except true blue.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Depending on the tulip variety and your climate, tulips are perennials or annuals.
Most viburnum shrubs bloom between early spring and June, followed by attractive fruit and outstanding fall foliage.
The fast-growing viburnums can be grown as either shrubs or small trees.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
And you’ll find both biennial and perennial species and cultivars.
Wallflower got its name from its ability to grow out of silty cracks in brick or cement walls.
The sweetly scented four-petalled flowers bloom well alongside spring bulbs in rock gardens, borders, or containers.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The plant tolerates very alkaline soil.
The main bloom time is in mid- to late spring after the leaves emerge.
The shrub is covered with petite yet showy, rosy-colored tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
In ideal conditions, there will be a repeat although sparser bloom in mid- to late summer.
Weigela are dense shrubs growing 6 to 10 feet tall and 9 to 12 feet wide but cultivars.
some with variegated, deep, burgundy-purple, or lime-golden foliage, are usually smaller.
Chemi Kumitani / Getty Images
It grows only 3 to 6 inches tall with a similar spread.
It is ideal for massing in front of shrubs, or for naturalizing in woodland gardens.
If spreading doesn’t fit into your landscape plan, keep the plant pruned back.
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, forsythias, and azaleas are among the most popular spring-flowering plants.
Generally speaking, spring bulbs such as daffodils and crocuses are the easiest to take care of.
Spring flowers are often referred to as spring ephemerals for a reasonthey are not very long-lasting.
Michele Ursi / Getty Images
They bloom from a few days to a week or two at the most.
Two notable exceptions are hellebores and daphne shrubs, which both have an extended bloom period of several weeks.
Poison Control: National Capital Poison Center.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants.University of California.
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
Daphne odora.North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
Neil Holmes / Getty Images
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
Prunus granulosa.North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
Foxglove - Toxic to the Heart.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
National Capital Poison Center.
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
Lily of the Valley.
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
April showers may bring spring bulbs.
What does that mean for your pet?ASPCA.
National Capital Poison Center.
