3 unique spring blooms
By: Garden Gate staff
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Get color all spring!
One of the greatest things about spring is that you can count on flowers to bloom in a particular order. Knowing when certain flowers will begin — early, mid- or late spring — makes it easy to create spectacular combinations to usher in the growing season.
Count on early spring bloomers to kickstart the show in your garden. In midspring, you may notice an overlap — early bloomers linger if the temps stay cool and mild while the midseason flowers begin to open. And late-spring blooms add extra color and fragrance as summer approaches.
Keep clicking for 3 perennials that will brighten your garden throughout spring!
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Prairie trillium Trillium recurvatum
This woodland native can take several years to spread into a colony, but when it does, the sweep of beautiful mottled foliage and striking dark flowers are worth the wait. Like many woodland wildflowers, it goes dormant by midsummer, especially if your summer tends to be hot and dry, but it’ll be back again the following spring.
Type Perennial
Blooms Brown-purple flowers in early to midspring
Light Part to full shade
Soil Humusy, well-drained
Size 12 to 18 in. tall, 9 to 12 in. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
Source Fraser’s Thimble Farms
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Fernleaf peony Paeonia tenuifolia
Less common than its cousin, P. lactifolia, fernleaf peony blooms two weeks earlier, so it’s sometimes called “Mother’s Day peony.” It makes a great specimen or perennial border companion.
‘Rubra Plena Flora,’ at left, has 2½- to 3-inch ruby-red double flowers atop an airy mound of fine, fernlike foliage. Removing spent blooms as they fade will encourage more buds to open.
Type Perennial
Blooms Ruby-red double flowers in midspring
Light Full sun to part shade
Soil Moist, well-drained
Size 18 to 24 in. tall and wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 8
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1
Source Peony’s Envy
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Large yellow lady’s slipper Cypripedium parviflorum pubescens
Individual plants only form a single flower, or sometimes two, but over time a large clump, like in the photo at left, will form.
When planting large yellow lady’s slipper, amend your soil with plenty of compost first. Spread roots out horizontally on top of enriched soil and cover with a layer of compost. This will provide the organic matter plants need to thrive.
Type Perennial
Blooms Yellow flowers in mid- to late spring
Light Part shade
Soil Moist, well-drained
Size 12 to 24 in. tall, 12 to 15 in. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 7
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 7 to 1
Source Plant Delights Nursery Inc.
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