March 28, 2024
Early Spring Bloomers
The snowbanks are slowly melting, you swear you heard a robin’s song in the trees, and your green thumb is starting to itch – all sure signs that spring is coming! But before you get too excited about this year’s veggie crop, there are still the cold nights and late frosts to consider. Most Annuals and new Perennials cannot tolerate frost, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait until late May before we can get a healthy dose of colour. There are lots of early spring plants that can handle a few light frosts while welcoming the arrival of warmer weather!
Of course, you can’t mention “early spring” without thinking about the classics: Primula, Pansies, and Violas. These charming bloomers can handle a light frost without injury; they can even survive a hard frost or late snowfall with only minor damage to their leaves and petals, which they’ll outgrow in just a few weeks. We plant THOUSANDS of these beauties (including 2 crops of Primula) in so many colours you won’t believe your eyes! Put them in planter pots that can go from your tabletop to the patio or straight into the garden once the ground is soft enough for digging, usually around mid-April. Regular deadheading will ensure lots of new blooms throughout the season.
Note: While Primula and Viola have been Perennial garden favourites for generations, Pansies are the Annual cousin of Viola – their blooming season is typically finished once the temperatures start to heat up in summer.
If you’re looking to add even earlier colour to your garden, especially in a shady spot, then Hellebores are for you! Also called Lenten Roses, these shy Perennials are one of the first to poke their heads through the ground, often before the snow has even melted! Their mounds of leathery, mottled leaves are topped with nodding blooms in shades of red, white, pink, dark burgundy, and even dark purple. Bonus: Their leaves are evergreen, which means no need to prune or cut back in winter! Just remove any dead growth and winter damage in early spring once the ground is thawed solid enough to walk on. Hellebores do not like to be moved once they’re established, and it is very easy to start collecting these incredible late winter bloomers!
Other shady options include Brunnera (Bugloss), Pulmonaria (Lungwort), and Dicentra (Bleeding Heart), but if your garden space is more on the sunny side, how about some Bellis (English Daisies)? These adorable pompom flowers come in shades of white, pink, and red, and while they are a relatively short-lived Perennial they will self-seed. And of course, you can’t walk through a spring garden without noticing Phlox subulata (Creeping Moss Phlox). This is one of the most popular spring Perennials—it looks like a bright and flowery carpet!
There are also more options when it comes to early spring colour, most notably Osteospermum. This Annual can handle a light frost but are best planted in mid-May. Their bright daisy-like flowers usually have a dark eye and are available in a range of colours, from white, orange and yellow to blue and purple. While they’re not winter hardy, their incredible beauty is more than worth it! So if all that melting snow is making you restless, consider some early spring plants to brighten up your home and garden!
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