The spring gardening season is always full of anticipation and excitement here in New England. Although the average last frost date for USDA zone 6a has passed, it's still dropping into the low 40's at night. My garden beds are not filled to the brim with beautiful flowers yet, and the wait for blooms can seem like an eternity. The first flowers to bloom in my garden are usually crocus, hyacinth and daffodils. Once those flowers have finished blooming, it seems easy to enter into garden limbo. Everything is growing, but it's hard to find flowers that flourish and fill in this empty gap.
I have some personal favorites that help bridge this gap with color and growth during this time. These flowers need to be able to withstand some of the harsh elements. They need to hold up through heavy spring rainstorms, cool nighttime temperatures and an array of animals foraging for food that may include your foliage. I have put together a list of my top five favorite varieties of perennials and shrubs that will thrive in your springtime garden. It's Tuesdays in the Garden, so don't forget to scroll down after reading, and check out some other great spring flower guides!
Lilac
Lilacs look as if they came right out of a fairytale. They are popular spring blooming shrubs known for their intoxicating fragrance and gorgeous showy flowers. Once you discover the beauty of these bushes, you will want to display them all over the yard for neighbors and guests to see. They are very hardy plants, and will come back year after year if cared for properly. These deciduous shrubs and multi stemmed small trees are most commonly purple. Lilacs also come in different colors like pink, white and yellow. My favorite has to be Marie Francis lilac bushes. These plants produce a more unusually seen pastel pink blossom. Here is a little bit more about Marie Frances French lilacs.
Zone: 3 to 7
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Planting Time: Spring
Bloom Time: Late Spring
Average Height: 5 feet tall
Fun Facts: Attracts pollinators, cold hardy, makes great cut flowers
Phlox
Phlox are a perfect addition to any rock garden. They come in a variety of colors and bloom times. Blue Moon woodland phlox, otherwise known as Sweet Willam, boasts rich blue violet blossoms. This flower get's it's nickname because of it's sweet scent. Definitely a favorite perennial of mine in my shade garden. Known to be a carefree plant, it can tolerate most growing conditions. This variety will put on a beautiful show by late April. If you are looking to provide pollinators with an early source of nectar, this is an excellent choice! It is especially attractive to the Tiger swallowtail butterfly. Another favorite of mine is Emerald Pink creeping phlox. This makes a wonderful ground cover.
Zone: 3 to 8
Light Requirement: Shade
Planting Time: Spring
Bloom Time: Early Spring
Average Height: 12 inches tall
Fun Facts: Attracts pollinators, low maintenance , shade tolerant
Peony
The peony brings any garden a rustic, old world look. They are known to live long lives and bloom for many years. Festiva Maxima Peonies have very large, white, fragrant blooms with a hint of glowy pink. These pretty flowers have specks of raspberry which make it particularly unique. I always look forward to them beginning to blossom in late May. Another favorite of mine would be the soft pink Sarah Bernhardt peony. This classic flower has very large, double blossoms with a naturally feminine charm. Both of these varieties make a perfect addition to any cottage style garden. The one important lesson I've learned when it comes to peonies, is to always make sure to stake them early. Their heavy blooms can droop low to the ground bending and damaging the stems during a rainstorm. Make sure to take care of this early in the season so you don't miss out on these prized perennials.
Zone: 3 to 8
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Planting Time: Spring
Bloom Time: Late Spring
Average Height: 36 inches tall
Fun Facts: Deer & rabbit resistant, fragrant , great cut flowers
Tulip
Tulips are an obvious and standard spring flower. They are a perennial bulb that comes in almost any color. This lovely flower also varies in many different shapes and sizes. Impressively, some varieties can last well into the middle of spring in my garden. The Red Emperor tulip is definitely worth mentioning. Some start to bloom in early April, then more show up, ready to bloom right before May begins. It's amazing how these tulips just keep popping up here and there. They are so easy to grow, and look especially divine in containers. They boast extravagantly elegant red petals with their signature yellow striped interior. Even as the flowers start to fade, the black centers help them continue to stun. Have a bag of tulips you forgot to plant in your garden? No problem! Force them indoors and enjoy tulips all year round!
Zone: 3 to 8
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Planting Time: Fall
Bloom Time: Early Spring
Average Height: 16 inches tall
Fun Facts: Winter hardy, can be grown in containers,
great cut flower
Tip: Plant in part shade to enjoy a longer blooming time
Spirea
Spirea is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub known for it's gorgeous clusters of flowers. Though these flowers may be tiny, they are profuse and sensational when they bloom in groups. They range from bright pinks and purples, all the way to softer yellows and whites. They look great as a border plant or in a wildlife garden, and also make a lovely addition to an all white moon garden. My favorite variety is the Renaissance Spirea known for it's showy white blooms. I am also growing the Double Play Artisan Spirea from Proven Winners in my yard. It has fuchsia flowers, is very compact and very low maintenance. In early spring, this variety has rich purple-red new growth that is equally as appealing as it's flowers. I am such a fan of this shrub that I'm thinking of adding Double Play Painted Lady to my landscape this upcoming season!
Zone: 3 to 7
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Planting Time: Spring
Bloom Time: Mid-Spring
Average Height: 5 feet tall
Fun Facts: Attracts pollinators, fast growth rate, beautiful orange-red fall color
Tip: Make sure to water regularly and more often in extreme heat
I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my first peony bloom of the season. The foliage is looking strong and filling my garden with some colorful greenery. My Blue Moon Phlox started blooming about a week ago. So happy to see some flowers thriving in the shade garden. I have a group of Red Emperor tulips still lingering around my rock border, and the lilacs look as if they will burst open with blooms at any moment. Crossing my fingers that my Renaissance spirea will closely follow behind. Do you have a few varieties of spring blooms that you just couldn't live without? Please add suggestions in the comment section below. I'm always looking to expand my flower beds with some new favorites. Anything blooming in your garden right now? Send me a bit of cheer and tweet me your pictures @thefreckledrose. Hope everyone is enjoying spring! See you back here soon for another round of Tuesdays In The Garden.
In Case You Missed It- Mother's Day Gardening Gifts
69 Comments
Lisa Isabella Russo
May 3, 2016 at 7:01 pmWhat lovely flowers! I hadn’t seen some of them before, thank you.
image-in-ing: weekly photo linky
May 3, 2016 at 6:39 pmWhat a stunning lilac – I’ve never seen anything like it!
Thanks for linking up at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2016/05/snorkeling-on-saint-thomas.html
Shanon
May 3, 2016 at 6:30 pmGorgeous choices. Thanks for the great info
candy
May 3, 2016 at 6:13 pmLove and have all but one of these flowers in my garden. Great tips.
Christine | Vermilion Roots
May 3, 2016 at 6:08 pmThey are such pretty blooms. This would be my dream garden. 🙂
Kim
May 3, 2016 at 5:51 pmI absolutely love lilacs and peonies. Lilacs for the scent and peonies for the beauty. I have 3 peony bushes and would love to get more because there are so many varieties.
Chauntel
May 3, 2016 at 5:50 pmWhat a fantastic list. I adore lilacs, I have some very old bushes growing in my yard that have been here for a few decades now. I love them. I have one right outside my bedroom so when my window is open I can smell it. It is fabulous!
Amy Scott
May 3, 2016 at 5:49 pmNo daffodils in May, my goodness! It seems the east coast skipped Spring altogether! I currently have thriving tulips at home in Ireland but I don’t now how they are withstanding the winds we’ve been having. This is really helpful to me because I always struggle (at least when I’m in Georgia!) with what plants handle sun the best.
daisy
May 3, 2016 at 1:51 pmAll of the blooms you featured are so lovely. They are not grown here though, just too hot.
Our daylillies should be blooming by next week and our amaryllis are in mid-bloom.
Thank you for visiting The Maple Hill Hop this week!
Jami
May 3, 2016 at 1:45 pmSo wish I could grow lilacs, but they don’t like me. 🙁 However, tulips and spirea are my friends! Great list, Angie – I’m waiting impatiently for my peonys to bloom!
Anne @ The Fitly Spoken Word
May 3, 2016 at 1:45 pmI LOVE lilac! All the spring flowers are beautiful, but I particularly love lilac.
susan
May 3, 2016 at 12:57 pmThey are all lovely photos, but the one that really got me was the lilac. I love lilacs, but I’ve never seen one this color – absolutely beautiful!
Ellen Chauvin
May 3, 2016 at 12:12 pmAngie, what beautiful pictures! And I love your boots, too! Visiting you today from Intentional Tuesday!
Shelly
May 3, 2016 at 12:02 pmWe had quite a few flowers in bloom already here. It’s been unusually warm and everything seems to have come into bloom early. I even have a flower on one of the hostas which usually doesn’t happen until late August. I hope your flowers come into bloom soon.
Vickie @ Vickie's Kitchen and Garden
May 3, 2016 at 9:45 amOur tulips and bleeding hearts are blooming here in Michigan. My spring vegetable garden is underway.
I love phlox -I will have to try and grow some next year.
Have a great day!