Spring Blooming Perennials

Nothing adds joy like the mixture of color and texture that comes with spring blooming perennials. Spring flowers emerge from hibernation against the cold and harshness of winter to signal a renewing of life and hope. Every house can add a positive outlook to the neighborhood year after year through planting spring-blooming perennials of both the bulb and woody varieties.

Bulbs are the first to bloom. Planting snowdrop bulbs in the fall ensures a crop of pale blossoms that announce the coming of spring. These late-winter/early-spring harbingers of the beauty to come, stand three to eight-inches high to show well against any dark backdrop.

Just as the snowdrops begin to fade, the blue blossom of the Glory-of-the-Snow takes over, splashing its gay color across any garden. For a brief time, the Glory-of-the-snow and Snowdrop are in mutual bloom presenting a brilliant bank of blossoms that entices any eye.

The white and blue of the earliest spring flowers surrender to the flowering bulbs colors of orange, purple, and vanilla found in the Crocus and the bright whites and yellows of the daffodil heads following the sun as it journeys from horizon to horizon.

Later in spring, flowering bulbs provide a vivid rainbow of colors found in the Tulip family. Single petal and double petal blossoms banked side-by-side present a grandiose color and texture theme that reverberates with life.

Toward the end of spring, the grape hyacinth competes with iris hybrids and Giant Flowering Onion for the attention of bees as well as the eye. These low hanging perennials provide a sense of wonder as they play their colorful song through the spring.

The low-lying Flowering bulbs work well against dark backdrops. The taller woody perennials complete any bank of spring flowers bringing the vision of vitality higher and closer to the passerby.

The beautiful Brunnera, often referred to as the Siberian Bugloss, provides cover for the delicate bulb blossoms with large heart-shaped leaves and lends color with a small purple blossom that climbs the stem toward the horizon. Blooming above the early spring bulbs, the Brunnera lends height and length to the celebration of spring.

The Winter Windflower also blooms early with a purple daisy-like blossom. The dark-green spherical body of the plant lies low to the ground and looks good as a backdrop for the early bulb blossoms. A line of Winter Windflowers set behind layers of planted bulbs provides a textured format for spring beauty.

The Bergenia is another perennial standing two to three feet high that works as a backdrop for lower spring flowering plants. The leaves remain green for the whole year except in very cold areas where they turn a rust color. This plant adds clusters of magenta blossoms that accent the rainbows of colors from other perennials.

Phlox is a low lying perennial ideal for the front of any yard. When set in banks toward the front of the home, the Phlox shouts the celebration of spring with a bright purple. The spring perennial flower blossoms mid-spring, shouting for attention and drawing the eye toward the rainbow of color in the deep landscape.