What are some of the Earliest Spring Bloomers?

If you're like me and itching to get into the garden whenever possible, here are some beautiful early bloomers to look out for. 

​Helleborus- One of the first flowers you will see in late winter/early spring. Clayton, head of our perennial department, displays these plants in a really cool way. Scroll to the bottom to see!
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Helleborus is very tolerant of different growing conditions, but does prefer part to full shade. They come in many colors too!

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​Stock- Fragrant, soft pastel colors. A great plant to get some height in a pot. Stock was originally found in the wilds of England, so they make great cottage garden plants. They need full sun to part shade and grow 1-3 feet in height.

 
​Pansies- Very cold tolerant and can handle spring temperature fluctuation. The best way to maximize them is to plant in fall because they usually come back in spring! I have some pots in my front garden bed that I planted with pansies last fall that are looking good again without my doing anything!
You can still plant them now and enjoy until it gets hot in June. They take full sun to part shade, but really aren't that fussy.

​Primrose-
Bright colors, big flowers, and they're perennials so you can plant once and enjoy them year after year!
​They prefer part shade and well drained soil.

​Ranunculus- It's ranunculus how gorgeous these big, layered petals are. You've probably seen these as a cut flower most often, but they are also wonderful in a planter with mixed spring flowers.
Ranunculus like to be planted in full sun.

I hope you're taking some time to enjoy your yard this spring. Clayton made this arrangement using all different varieties of Hellebores from his yard. He used a shallow dish/plate to float his flowers in. This is his favorite way to display Hellebores.

I know that I'm only skimming the surface with these early blooming options. There are tons of great blooms to look for right now. Will you create an arrangement from your garden like Clayton did?
​-Marietta
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