Planting early blooming flowers generously throughout your garden or landscape is the best way to usher in the warming days of spring. Just imagine large swathes of colour and texture transforming your property into a sea of blooms so enchanting you’d think you were dreaming. Well, wake up and smell the hyacinths! With the right spring bulbs from Breck’s, you can have an early spring floral display that will rival those in our homeland of Holland.
When thinking of the best blooming flowers for spring, gardeners have a choice of tulips, crocus, daffodils and many other popular spring blooming varieties. However, don’t overlook other varieties of early spring flowers that may be able to add a punch of color to your garden as the days begin to get warmer.
Here, we have selected some of our best selling early blooming flowers and bulbs to highlight. Our hope is that, armed with the right information, choosing your new favourite spring blooming flowers will be an easy and enjoyable task. Read on to discover what we think are some of the best attributes of these gorgeous early flowers.
Dutch Crocus
One of the first spring flowers to bloom is the lovely Dutch crocus, which adds bright, bold color to the very early spring landscape, flowering readily wherever it is planted. Crocuses prefer direct sun and thrive in sites that get at least 6–8 hours a day. But remember that during these very early days of the year, deciduous trees and shrubs will be devoid of foliage, leaving the areas at their base in full- to part-sun conditions. That means you can plant with abandon under trees or tucked in between border shrubbery, and you’ll still be presented with a plethora of blooms in shades of gold, purple, white and pink, as well as bicolours, tricolours and stylishly striped colourations. Crocus bulbs are hardy in zones 3–9, attractive to pollinators such as bees and butterflies, and make fabulous additions to pots, borders and rock gardens, too.
Daffodils
Who doesn’t love a liberal planting of cheerful and bright daffodils in their garden? An early bloomer with pizzazz, these diverse flowers come in a vast array of colours, patterns, forms and sizes, making them one of the most beloved species of bulb plants in the world. It’s a fact—no matter what your garden aesthetic, you are sure to find a daffodil cultivar that will fit right in. They appear in early to mid spring and last for weeks with no extra care or maintenance required for them to flourish. Abundant blooms come in varying shades of white, yellow, orange, and even green, and are accented with touches of red, pink, yellow, coral or white. Daffodils can be single, double, split-corona, multi-flowering, or gigantic in size. Some daffs bear a light, pleasing fragrance that garden visitors are sure to enjoy. Plant bulbs in meadows, pots, beds, borders or rockeries for best results. They naturalize beautifully, returning yearly in greater numbers.
Tulips
Believed to be the quintessential Dutch flower, the tulip is a traditional garden favourite that has enjoyed generations of popularity since it was first introduced to Europe in the late 16th century. Though a superstar in the Netherlands, it is no less beloved in North America. In fact, American gardeners have come to rely on liberal plantings of these early spring flowers to perk up their properties with colour, form and texture. Tulips come in so many different hues, patterns and colourations, it is nearly impossible to list them all here. But some of our favourites are the sunny yellow cultivars, the nearly black varieties and those with blended colours for a chic look in the garden or vase. Tulips also come in a range of shapes, too. Fancy parrots, lily-flowering and doubles are among the most flamboyant we’ve seen. We are sure you’ll be able to choose at least one for your early season landscape.
Wood Anemones
For shady sites that need a pop of colour and brightness in the early spring, consider choosing one or more varieties of wood anemones. These unique flowers have a daisylike flair, but also something that is solely their own. A longtime favourite in shadowy sites such as sun-dappled borders, woodland gardens and darkened areas of the landscape, they give even the shadiest locales a shot of vivid green foliage that serves as a lovely backdrop to either snowy white or soft blue blooms. Resistant to hungry deer and easy to grow, the wood anemone makes a fine flowering ground cover from early spring into midseason.
Hyacinths
Boasting a bevy of jewel-like tones and a heavenly fragrance prized by many, hyacinths have the well-deserved reputation of being a garden must-have for early spring. They sport a unique upright form that brings vertical interest into any sunny display. The flower spikes are made up of dozens of small florets packed together to form the famous hyacinth shape. Appearing in a number of shades, they range from cool blue to sizzling red, and just about everything in between. Admire them in single or double forms as they grace sun-filled borders, cutting gardens or window boxes. They are quite versatile and fit in nicely with formal manicured gardens as well as rambling displays of flowering perennials and bulbs.
Grape Hyacinths
As an accent bloom, petite grape hyacinths add low-growing charm and colour to the front of a border planting or decorative container. We love to mix them into an early spring flower display of tulips or daffodils. They give a whimsical, yet designer-inspired, look as they flank the taller bulb arrangements with their chubby little clusters of bell-shaped florets in a range of hues. The fragrant flowers are a staple in many seasonal landscapes, and you will soon see exactly why. Sure to become a family favourite!
Early Snowdrops
Give winter the ol’ heave-ho by planting a large display of early snowdrops. These enchanting early spring plants feature either single or double, bell-shaped, white blooms that hang delicately from sturdy stems. They grow with abandon amid verdant, grasslike foliage that adds a rich pop of colour to the grey, still-barren landscape. Snowdrops also make a fine addition to rock gardens and containers. The 4–6″ tall plant creates an excellent ground cover, filling in areas of the garden that have yet to come alive in the early days of spring. In fact, they often appear before the snow even melts, hence their whimsical name. Exceptionally hardy, they multiply quickly and naturalize readily. Plant in well-drained soil in a full-sun-to-part-shade site for best results.
Dog’s Tooth Violet
An eye-catching addition to the partly shaded landscape, dog’s tooth violet is something you just don’t see every day. Planted in large groupings, they make a fantastic display in early spring. The pendulous, orchid-like flowers are small—only 1–2″ across—with a rose-mauve hue and a yellow accent at the very centre. Strong stems grow 6–12″ tall with glossy green foliage speckled in rich bronze. The delicate blooms add a touch of decorative splendour to front borders and cutting gardens alike. But they really shine in woodland sites where their graceful beauty and soft colour contrast nicely with the rugged background. Also known as erythronium, it grows very easily and naturalizes beautifully.
Lungwort
The ideal choice for adding colour and beauty from sun to shade, lungwort bears clusters of delicate, funnel shaped blooms that open a rich violet-blue hue and mature to soft pink. The flowers are quite small—only ½” across—and appear in late winter, continuing to bloom well into the middle of spring. Short stalks rise above 12″, clumping mounds of dense foliage that spread neatly to reach 20″ wide, making lungwort an excellent ground cover selection. Known as pulmonaria to garden pros and design experts, this very early bloomer gives a pretty, lively look to the bleak days of late winter. Thanks to their versatility and easy light requirements, these perennials can be planted under trees, between shrubbery, in rock gardens or at the front of a border bed.
Siberian Bugloss
Keep weeds from creeping into your garden paradise with a dense ground cover such as Siberian bugloss. Though they are sometimes known to appear later in the season, there are several varieties of this shade lover that appear quite a bit earlier in the spring. We like Alexander’s Great and Silver Wings for creating a beautiful and interesting floral display in the shadowy areas of the landscape. Both varieties feature large, substantial leaves of deep green with either a silvery white frosting or a heavy veining pattern in a similar shade. Delicate sprays of tiny, blue blooms erupt early from the mounded foliage. Plant either of them (or both!) in sun-dappled sites, shadowy corners or darkened borders for a delightful display sure to enchant any garden visitors.
Star of Holland
Just when you think you can bear no more of the winter blues, up pops the joyful blooms of the Star of Holland! The springtime landscape becomes a home to a maintenance-free perennial with lots of love to give. Petite flowers of either creamy white or deep blue appear in early spring and deliver a stylish display of charming form and bright and bouncy colour. Star of Holland (Scilla siberica) makes an excellent flowering ground cover, effectively hiding barren, grey sites with its glossy green foliage and clusters of sweet blooms. It naturalizes beautifully, returning yearly in greater numbers and with increased bloom and vigour. We adore this cultivar in front borders, as a seasonal accent in rock gardens or planted directly in the lawn. To achieve this informal look, simply grab a handful of bulbs and gently toss them in the air, plant them where they land.
Helleborus
One of the earliest blooms to appear in the landscape is helleborus. These late winter bloomers push through snow to show off their brilliant colours and incredible single or double forms. They prefer shadowy spaces and easily grow and flourish in even the deepest of shade. A garden must-have for those who desire a three season display in the landscape, these ornamental beauties come in a range of sophisticated hues sure to please everyone. They are drought tolerant, deer resistant and easy to grow. Plant them under shrubs or trees, amid a shaded rock garden or a darkened corner of the cutting garden. We love them along a sun-dappled border where they can be seen and admired by visitors to the property. Bring a few indoors to give your home a springlike look while the winter winds still howl. Whether you choose the single or double varieties, helleborus (or Lenten rose) is available in chic shades of pink, creamy white, purple, nearly black and rich maroon red.
Fritillaria
The final early spring blooming plant that we recommend is Fritillaria pallidiflora. This uniquely lovely perennial plant pushes up to seven soothing, pale greenish-yellow blooms per stem, up through the bare soil to give your landscape a delicate, decorative look in early to mid spring. The nodding flowers have a downward facing profile and a distinctive bell shape that gives them an extra touch of seasonal charm. Faint reddish-brown markings add even more appeal. Plant in partly shaded sites such as along a bordered walkway or in a woodland garden where the softly hued, elegant blooms juxtapose nicely with the ruggedness of the site. They are also quite nice placed near water features or as a striking addition to mixed container gardens. Visitors to your property will surely ask the name of this unusual beauty.
We hope you were able to choose a favourite from all the early spring perennials and bulbs we have featured here. You can also find more seasonal plants not shown here on the Breck’s website. Rest assured that any purchase you make is fully backed by our no-risk Lifetime Guarantee. If, for any reason, you’re not completely satisfied with any plant upon receipt, after planting or once it grows and blooms, just contact Breck’s anytime—no time limit—for as long as you garden. No need to return any plant. We’ll happily replace it or send you a merchandise credit.
