A spring garden brings renewed hope in all things growing

There’s nothing quite like the look of spring flowers. Bursting to life on the heels of winter, the delicate forms are so fresh as to almost seem edible. And spring gardens bring hope this time of year, renewing our faith in life and everything growing. With that in mind, following are 10 great plants that can get you started.

The great news is that there’s plenty of time to plant a garden that will bloom from May until summer. Moreover, the nurseries are full of stock that have put on some additional growth in the pot. It’s the perfect time to pick up some plants and get a jump on the flowering season.

Here are ten of my favorites for a fail-safe spring medley.

PEONY

Pink peony

Known for their enormous flowers, these low-maintenance spring staples will live for generations. Peonies begin blooming in late May and continue flowering well into June. The plants perform best in full sun (where they will produce the best blooms). And many are fragrant, in particular the double white and pink varieties.

After the flowers fade, peonies’ deep green leaves stay looking good most of the summer. I use them to add bulk to my garden and prop up other flowers. I cut them down to the ground in the fall.

Here are some of my favorites: Sarah Bernhardt (pastel pink), Festiva Maxima (highly fragrant, pure white with crimson flecks), Kansas (double, carmine-red) and Bartzella Itoh (a cross between a bush and tree peony with huge yellow blooms.)

SIBERIAN IRIS

Iris siberica

Smaller and less showy than the bearded irises, these delicate plants produce a wealth of spring blooms on tall, elegant stems, usually in shades of blue or purple. The flowers are characterized by three petals on top and three below called falls. There are tiny varieties that grow only to about a foot and larger ones that can reach three feet tall. And their bright green grassy foliage adds a nice vertical dimension to the garden.

Standouts include purple-blue Caesar’s Brother, sky-blue Silver Edge, deep purple Ruffled Velvet, and soft yellow and white Butter and Sugar.

AQUILEGIA (COLUMBINE)

Aquilegia ‘Origami’

The botanical name aquilegia comes from the Latin ‘aquila’ meaning eagle; a reference to the flower’s petals that are said to resemble an eagle’s claw. Aquilegia’s beautiful nodding blooms come in dainty shades of purple, red, yellow, blue and white. A hardy perennial, columbine will grow in sun but prefers partial shade, especially in the afternoon. After a few years, it often dies out. But, it easily self-seeds.

Check out Origami Red and White, sky-blue and white Blue Bird, or spectacular, pure-white Dove.

LADY’S MANTLE (Alchemilla mollis)

Lady’s mantle, Alchemilla mollis

One of the ‘freshest’ perennials around, Lady’s Mantle acts like a cool splash of water amidst all the colors of the spring garden. Easily grown in full sun to part shade, this low-growing perennial forms clumps of circular, lobed leaves crowned by tiny, star-shaped chartreuse flowers held aloft on 12″ to 18″ stems in late spring to early summer.

Tuck it under upright plants at the front of the border to disguise stems and dimension to your border.

BEARDED IRIS

Iris germanica, tall bearded iris

Tall and stately, bearded irises make a grand statement in the May garden. I go all-out and plant the deep purple varieties that provide great contrast with other pastel spring colors. Bearded irises grow from rhizomes, or sideways-growing stems, so they should never be buried completely in the ground. The plants need at least 6 hours of direct sun to flower.

For deep color, almost nothing surpasses almost-black Hello Darkness, or opt for the reverse and check out bright-white, re-blooming Immortality. For outstanding pastel shades, try apricot-peach Champagne Elegance, lavender-pink Celebration Song, or Schreiners Gardens’ pastel blue Into The Blue.

BAPTISIA AUSTRALIS

Baptisia australis, blue false indigo

Commonly known as blue false indigo, this beautiful plant is growing in popularity with new flower colors being introduced. The upright perennial has 10″ to 12″ spikes of violet-blue, pea-shaped flowers that can last up to four weeks. Typically growing 3 to 4 feet tall, baptisia australis forms a large clump of bluish-green, clover like leaves that over time take on a shrub-like appearance. This makes it an excellent addition to the back of the border.

Try out the common form or go yellow with Lemon Meringue or go all-white with Baptisia lactea, white false indigo.

CREEPING PHLOX

Creeping phlox, Phlox sublata

This front-of border perennial forms large mats of brilliantly-colored, star-shaped flowers in blues, pinks and purples. Plants have semi-evergreen, needle-like foliage that produce long, spreading stems.  However, the plant tends to get woody over time, so best to cut out older sections to encourage new blooms.

Try lavender-blue Emerald Blue, soft-pink Fabulous Rose or for bold color, check out magenta Scarlet Flame,

BRUNNERA

Brunnera macrophylla ‘Sea Heart’

If you’ve got part-shade, nothing says spring like Brunnera macrophylla, also known as false forget-me-not. The low-growing plant produces miniature, sky-blue flowers atop heart-shaped leaves in shades ranging from bright green to green with white or silver. The leaves form clumps that look great all season. For best impact, try silvered-leaved Jack Frost, or even larger-leaved Alexander’s Great.

VERBASCUM (MULLEIN)

Yellow verbascum

A short-lived perennial known for its beautiful, tall flower spikes, verbascum adds an important vertical element to the spring garden. Easily grown in full sun to part shade (although it prefers full sun), the plant produces 2′ to 3′ flowering stems bearing long terminal spikes of 1′ diameter flowers in pastel shades of cream, lavender or rose. It easily self-seeds, but best to plan on replanting each year as an annual for best results.  Tall silvery-gray leaves look great in the back of the border.

Try bright yellow Jackie In Yellow or go soft pink with Southern Charm,

HARDY GERANIUM

Hardy geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’

Not to be confused with annual geraniums, hardy geraniums (commonly known as Cranesbill) come in different shades of pinks, purples and blues often with deeper colored veins that look like whiskers. Most varieties start flowering in late spring and continue blooming well into the summer. The plant thrives in full sun at the front of the flower border.

My favorite is lavender-blue Rozanne. Other great varieties are crimson-throated, deep pink Patricia, unbelievable mauve-pink Miss Heidi, whose petals look like they were painted with butterfly wings and light pink with bronze tinted Ingwersen’s Variety.

ALLIUMS

Ornamental onion, Allium

A spectacular addition to any spring garden, alliums nonetheless take some advance planning. Their giant, onion-sized bulbs must be planted in late fall.

Come spring, most alliums make their appearance in late April when large florets of tongue-like foliage become visible on the soil surface. The foliage is followed by the emergence of tall, upright stems carrying a single round ‘flower.’ Composed of hundreds of tiny star-shaped blooms, the huge spheres tower over other flowers, injecting a playful note into the spring border. 

My favorite variety is the impossibly large Globemaster, with deep purple Gladiator a close second. But don’t stop there; there are many varieties to choose from including the unusually shaped Drumstick, the fireworks-like Schubertii and the all-white Mount Everest.

LOOKING FOR MORE?

Of course, this is by no means is an exhaustive list of suitable plants for great spring borders. For more information on other spring bloomers that look great in shady areas or on their own in clumps, check out my posts Shady Behavior: 20 Great Plants for Shade Gardens, Spring At Winterthur Gardens, and Why Lily Of The Valley Is The Official May Day Flower.

Happy planting!