Garden Ideas for Spring

Planning your spring garden often begins in the fall when tulips, daffodils and other bulbs are planted for springtime blooms. If planning that far ahead is not your strong suit, you can enjoy a spring garden filled with dianthus and other perennials, or flowering shrubs such as azaleas and weigela.

Early Spring Garden

Spring generally announces its arrival with the blooming of tulips and daffodils, but you can plant other bulbs for even earlier springtime flowers. Snow crocus, Glory of the Snow, Siberian squill, snowdrop and winter aconite are all bulbs that you can plant in the fall for late winter and very early springtime blossoms. You can enjoy these pink, purple, blue, white and yellow flowers as the seasons are just about to change.

Spring Blooming Perennials

Dianthus, viola and primrose are spring-blooming perennials. You can start seeds indoors, 6 to 12 weeks before the last frost for your area. Then transplant the seedlings into your spring garden for late spring and early summer blooms. These beauties will return year after year with proper watering and a protective layer of mulch during the dormant seasons.

Flowering Shrubs

Plant a section of your landscape with flowering shrubs that burst into color each spring. Azaleas, weigela and lilacs make a beautiful combination for your shrub garden. They also can be additions to your spring and summer flower beds. Azaleas come in a variety of colors from white to crimson, while lilacs are often blooming in shades of yellow, lavender and pink. Weigela may have deep green or variegated foliage with white or pink blooms. All these shrubs enjoy full sun to partial shade. Weigela and azaleas will only bloom in the spring, while Josee lilacs will re-bloom until the first frost.