After a long, cold winter, you are probably anxious for the first signs of
spring. Springtime automatically brings thoughts of flowers. Choosing the best
flowers for spring can be difficult and it is often confusing. Perhaps the most
effective way to ensure spring flowers that bloom each year is to plant bulbs in
the fall to mid-winter. There are of course flowering plants that you can
purchase from your local nursery, but you will want to make sure any chance of
freezing weather has passed before planting and in many areas of the country,
spring does not arrive until late in the season and by that time you will want
to plants flowers in anticipation of summer. You always have the option of
purchasing bulbs that have been grown in pots over the winter and are in stock
in most garden centers beginning in the late winter months. Here are a few
choices of flowering plants that are suitable to plant now and will produce
early spring flower:
Winter Aconite, or Eranthis hyemalis, will give you yellow flowers approximately
three inches in height and resemble common buttercups. These particular bulbs
may begin to flower as early as January if you live in a warm area and you will
get the best results if you plant them in masses as they grow low to the ground.
Glory Of The Snow, or Chionodoxa luciliare, produce flowers that are bright blue
with a white center. The plants will grow between six and ten inches tall,
making this particular plant very handy for walkways, borders, and rock gardens.
You may also be able to find white/pink varieties depending on the area in which
you live
Spring Snowflake, or leucojum vernum, give you bell-shaped flowers that droop
from the green part of the plant. These plants will be six to twelve inches in
height and are white in color with small green spots on the ends of the petals.
You will get the best results if you plant them in clumps and you can expect to
see blooms in late February to early March. As with any other springtime bulb,
they are best planted in the fall but you can plant in the mid to late winter if
you purchase potted bulbs that have already begun the growing cycle.
Netted Iris, or iris reticulate, are wonderfully scented and are most commonly
purple in colour, although you can also find light blue and white irises in many
areas. Irises are one of the earliest blooming plants and you can expect a
beautiful display of flowers in early March. As with any other type of bulb,
after several growing seasons you will have to thin the bulbs from time to time,
as they tend to reproduce rapidly and could actually begin to stunt the growth
of the plants due to over-crowding
About the Author: Jennifer Houck is the owner of
http://www.bestflowergrowers.com, the
Best Flower
resource for learning how to grow your flowers.