6. Tulips: Loved throughout the world, a “big player” in the spring flowers group!
There are several thousand types of tulips which come in a variety of heights, colors, and floral shapes. If you can imagine the color, chances are that you will find the exact shade you want!
These cup shaped flowers can grow anywhere from 10-30 inches tall and thrive in soil that is slightly alkaline and well-drained. Because there are so many varieties, tulips can bloom almost all spring long!
Tulips planted in drifts look fantastic but they also make a bold statement when planted in small clumps. Make sure to include some in your spring display! Zones: 4-9
7. Hyacinth/Hyacinthus orientalis: Hyacinths have an unmistakable fragrance and appearance and arrive during early spring. The stiff stem supports a spike of bell-shaped flowers that can grow up to 18 inches tall.
It is available in many shades to include: pink, blue, white, yellow, purple, mauve, and apricot. This beautiful flower can be planted as an individual specimen or in formal group settings. Either way, it will make a bold statement in your garden! Zones: 5-9
8. Muscari/Grape Hyacinth: This lovely fragranced but hardy flower gets its name because it looks like a miniature cluster of up-side down grapes. Muscari are available in blue, purple, mauve, and white. Depending on the variety it blooms anywhere from early to mid spring. They grow up to 8 inches tall and naturalize easily when planted in grassy or slightly wooded areas. Easy to grow….make sure you plant some! Zones: 4-9
9. Lily-of-the-valley/Convallaria majalis: This pretty little flower is made up of pink or white clusters of bell shaped flowers. Lily-of-the-valley emerges from a root section called a rhizome or pip, grows 6-10 inches tall, and blooms late in the spring. They do best when planted in a partially shaded location in moist, acid soil.
These spring flowers grow quickly and the dense growth makes an excellent ground cover that will naturalize easily in colder climates. The sweet fragrance of this low-care plant makes it the natural choice for your spring garden! Zones: 3-7
10. Persian Buttercup/Ranunculus asiaticus: Without a doubt, this flower reminds me of the flowers you might expect to see in the Land of OZ….bright & perky! It blooms in the late spring and into early summer. This spring flower grows 12-24 inches tall and comes in a rainbow of colors. Grown from a tuberous root, this plant performs best in full sun or light shade. Give this whimsical plant a try…you will be glad that you did! Zones: 4-8
How to prepare your spring flowering bulbs in the fall
Flower bulbs need a good, long, winter’s sleep. Like some people we know, if they wake up before they are fully rested they get kind of cranky, and then they don’t bloom well at all.
Actually what happens is during a mild winter, the soil stays too warm and the bulbs begin to come out of dormancy early. They start to grow, and once the tips emerge above the soil line, they are subject to freezing if the temperatures dip back down below freezing. And that’s usually what happens. After the bulbs have emerged, they freeze and then don’t bloom at all, or if they do it’s a very sad display.
Another reason this happens is because the bulbs are not planted deep enough. They may have been deep enough when you planted them, but as the soil goes through the freezing and thawing process, the bulbs can actually work their way up in the ground. One way to keep your flower bulbs sleeping longer, which will protect them from freezing, is to mulch the bed.
In the fall just apply a 3-4″ layer of well composted mulch. This layer of mulch will do a couple of things. It will maintain a higher moisture content in the soil, which is good as long as the soil isn’t too soggy. Well composted mulch also adds valuable organic matter to the planting bed. Organic matter makes a great natural fertilizer.
A 3-4″ layer of mulch also acts as an insulator. It will keep the soil from freezing for a while, which is good because you don’t want the bulbs going through a series of short cycles of freezing and thawing. Then when the temperatures drop below freezing and stay there for a while, the soil does eventually freeze. Then the mulch actually works in reverse and keeps the soil from thawing out too early. Keeping it in a frozen state is actually good because the bulbs remain dormant for a longer period of time.
When they finally do wake up it is spring time, and hopefully by the time they emerge from the ground the danger of a hard freeze is past and they will not be damaged. If you can keep them from freezing, they will flower beautifully. The extra organic matter will help to nourish the bulbs when they are done blooming, and the cycle starts all over again.
We also plant annual flowers in the same beds with our spring bulbs. By the time the danger of frost is past and it’s time to plant the annuals, the top of the bulbs have died back and are ready to be removed. The mulch that is added in the fall also helps to nourish the annual flowers, as well as improve the soil permanently. Any time you add well composted organic matter to your planting beds, you are bound to realize multiple benefits. The key words here are “well composted”. Fresh material is not good.
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