Add Color to Your Yard: Which Blooms are Ready by Early Spring?

January 1, 2019

After a long and frigid winter, it is exciting to look forward to a landscape full of colorful blooms. While the height of spring season may still be a distance away, now is the time to get started planting bulbs and container gardens that can yield a season full of gorgeous blossoms. If you are ready to add color to your yard, then here are the best blooms to plant now for an early spring showing.

Impatiens

This annual bloom must be replanted each year; however, the vibrant colors can create a magnificent landscape. These plants work well in containers, flower beds or as an accent along the yard. While you should wait until the last frost date in your area before planting them outside, your patience will be rewarded by their lovely blooms.

Winter Aconite

The winter aconite is one of the first flowers to pop up in early springtime, and its yellow cup-shaped flowers can add a touch of brightness to a yard recovering from winter. Typically, these flowers will bloom in March and fade in June as green leaves grow in their place.

Crocus

Along with the winter aconite, crocus is an early spring-blooming flower that can be found in several varieties that fit well into a New England landscape. However, it is important to pick the right type of variety if you are hoping for a spring bloom. The ruby giant, golden bunch and cloth of gold varieties will offer a rich set of flowers that will return year after year.

Tulips

These flowers are most commonly associated with spring and can be used as an accent around other outdoor foliage, or they can be showcased in a large container. When choosing your bulbs, the University of Vermont recommends choosing the larger-sized bulbs as they are an indicator of the size of the flowers that will blossom.

Many of spring’s brightest and most colorful flowers must be planted before the season is in full swing. Make sure to get a head start on transforming your yard by exploring the many types of bulbs that can be planted in late winter and the earliest weeks of spring. Then, you can enjoy watching nature unfold as your flowers work their magic and transform your yard into a cheerful scene of springtime beauty.