Want a stunning early spring garden? Learn which spring flowers to plant for the earliest color and a beautiful, long-lasting display.

Tired of winter’s drabness? Spring arrives with an explosion of color! Imagine your garden bursting with blooms from the moment the ground thaws. To achieve this continuous, visually stunning display with minimal effort, choosing the right early-season flowers is crucial. Let’s discover the best options for abundant color, including cool-season annuals you can plant now. Here are some of my personal favorites to inspire you.

(Posts on stacyling.com may contain affiliate links. Click HERE for full disclosure.)

Yellow daffodils in full bloom among green leaves and small purple flowers in a garden. Trees and a stone pathway are in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

How to Plant a Colorful Early Spring Garden

If you’re a gardening enthusiast who eagerly anticipates the arrival of spring, you’re in luck! One effective strategy to achieve a constantly changing and vibrant display in your garden is by incorporating a diverse mix of early-season flowering annuals, bulbs, perennials, and shrubs.

By mixing it up, something will always be growing, changing, and blooming, which makes it more exciting to walk the gardens. Follow these tips to grow an easy-care garden that blooms with something new and exciting each day.

close up of tulips at sunset in the porch garden with daffodils near a stone wall

Create an Extended Bloom Period with Spring Flowers

By incorporating a mix of early-season flowering annuals, bulbs, perennials, and shrubs in your garden, you can create a prolonged bloom period that lasts for weeks to months. Because think about it, if you only grow one type of plant, you are limited in bloom time specific to that variety.

Cool Season Annuals

Early-season flowering annuals, such as pansies, violas, nemesia, and ranunculus can start blooming as early spring, providing a burst of color when other plants are still waking up from their winter slumber.

A vibrant garden with orange and purple flowers blooms in the foreground, while yellow flowers grow nearby. The garden is bordered by green fencing, and the background features blurred trees and a soft sunset glow.

Spring Flowering Bulbs

Spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, and tulips, also bloom early in the season. When planted in fall, these pretty spring bloomers are no work at all in the spring because they just do their thing.

A vibrant garden bed filled with blooming hyacinths and daffodils. The hyacinths display a range of colors including purple, magenta, and pink, while the daffodils have bright yellow and white petals. Green leaves and stems contrast against the soil and mulch. When to cut back spring bulbs

Perennials

Planting perennials can provide spring flowers year after year with minimal work for you. Some of my favorites include Hellebores, Myostotis, Virginia Bluebells, Dicentra, and Brunnera.

A lush garden scene featuring clusters of delicate blue flowers (brunnera) in the foreground, surrounded by green foliage. Further in the background are pink flowers, a white picket fence, and various trees, creating a serene and vibrant landscape. Growing brunnera in a serene shade garden.

Early Flowering Shrubs

But don’t overlook the value of flowering shrubs because they make a great visual impact in the landscape too. Look for plants like forsythia, spirea, viburnum and lilacs.

Having a diverse mix of plants with varying bloom times ensures that you’ll have something new blooming in your garden almost every day, creating a visually stunning and ever-changing display.

close up of baby's breath spirea with daffodils
Baby’s breath spirea in full bloom with yellow and white daffodil mix

Plant for Continuous Color

Another benefit of incorporating a variety of early-season flowering plants in your garden is that you can enjoy a wide range of colors and textures throughout the season. Spring flowering bulbs, annuals, perennials, and shrubs come in a plethora of hues, ranging from bright and bold to soft and pastel, allowing you to create a stunning color palette in your garden.

When planting your garden, carefully select spring flowers and plants with complementary colors and textures so you can create an eye-catching display that evolves as the season progresses, keeping your garden interesting and visually appealing.

front yard garden in spring with flowering crabapple trees
Hellores, ajuga, vinca, ranunculus and flowering crabapples are in bloom

Plant With Diversity

Planting diverse early-season annuals, perennials, and shrubs boosts garden diversity. This attracts pollinators, helps manage weeds and pests organically, and can improve yields depending on your plants, leading to a more balanced ecosystem.

Create Lots of Garden Interest

Create lots of garden interest and intrigue by adding a mix of early-season spring flowers like annuals, bulbs, perennials, and shrubs to your garden. As each plant blooms at different times and in different ways, it adds depth and dimension to your garden, making it more visually appealing.

Varying plant heights, textures, and colors create a dynamic garden landscape, drawing the eye to different areas. This ever-changing beauty offers daily surprises and encourages exploration of new blooms.

Spring Flowers like lenten rose, virginia bluebells and bleeding hearts in the Zen Garden
Different lenten rose varieties in bloom
daffodils and double flowering tulips blooms in the spring garden
Double-flowering tulips and different varieties of daffodils

Be Creative with Spring Flowers

Get creative and plant a diverse mix of early-season flowering plants in your garden. With various plants blooming at different times, you can experiment with diverse combinations, design ideas, and garden themes.

You can create themed areas in your garden, such as a butterfly garden with early-season flowering plants that attract butterflies, or a cottage garden with a mix of annuals, perennials, and shrubs for a relaxed and informal look. The possibilities are endless.

Zen garden with hellebores and bleeding hearts with japanese maple -10 shade loving plants that bloom
Shade garden with hellebores, dicentra, brunnera and acer

My Favorite Early Spring Flowering Bulbs

Spring flowering bulbs are a fantastic addition to any garden, not only for their stunning display of blooms but also for the minimal effort required from the gardener to achieve a beautiful floral show. There are lots of beautiful bulbs to choose from that bloom at all different times from very early spring until early summer.

Even the same flower has different varieties with varying bloom times. So you can get an amazing display of color and blooms for an extended time from just one type of flower.

Plant in the Fall for a Stunning Spring Garden Display

What I love most about spring blooming bulbs is that they should be planted in the fall, making them pretty low maintenance for spring. Once the warmer spring temperatures arrive, these bulbs emerge from the ground and bloom without requiring much attention from the gardener.

Another key benefit of spring bulbs is their reliable return each year, ensuring consistent early garden color. (If your spring flowering bulbs failed to bloom or don’t return, you can troubleshoot what happened and how to fix it here.)

The daffodils are in bloom in the front yard garden in zone 6a New Jersey
Daffodils for days

Plus, these bulbs have the ability to survive and thrive in the garden for many years with minimal care. This means that once you plant them, you can enjoy their beautiful blooms year after year without having to replant them annually, saving you money, time, and effort.

Beyond their low maintenance, spring bulbs offer diverse colors, shapes, and sizes, allowing for personalized and stunning floral displays. From bold tulips to cheerful daffodils and delicate crocuses, countless easy-care options suit any style. Here are some of my favorites.

  • Crocus
  • Daffodils
  • Hyacinths
  • Tulips
  • Grape Hyacinths
Tulips that bloom like peonies -Gardening 101: How to Keep pest and disease problems under control
Double flowering tulips with windflowers
purple crocuses - the first of the 2023 blooms
Purple crocus

Why Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs in the Fall is Important

When it comes to spring flowers, planting bulbs in the fall is key to ensure they bloom at the right time. Plants such as tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths need a period of chill time during winter to initiate the flowering process.

So it’s important to get them in the ground before winter so they have enough time to get that chill before they bloom in spring. I usually plant mine here in gardening zone 6a in late October.

When planting, keep in mind that bulbs should be planted in well-drained soil and at the appropriate depth. So be sure to follow the specific planting instructions for each type of bulb to ensure optimal results and a stunning spring display.

But what if you didn’t plant them in the fall?

All is not lost because you can easily purchase them in spring at the nursery in full bloom. They will just cost a little more and likely not bloom as long this year. But the good news is, they should return again next year.

spring garden with daffodils and tulips in porch garden with stone wall at sunset
Spring has sprung in my porch garden at sunset

About Cold Tolerant Annuals that Flower

When spring arrives and the nursery starts stocking up on annuals, some of the first you’ll see are cold-tolerant varieties like pansies and ranunculus. Cold-tolerant flowering annuals are specially adapted to withstand chillier temperatures, allowing you to plant them before the first frost in fall or early spring. By doing so, you can get a head start on your spring garden and enjoy early blooms as the weather starts to warm up.

Some popular options for cold-tolerant annual flowers include Pansies, Violas, Snapdragons, Sweet Peas, Larkspur, and Sweet Alyssum, among others.

Cold tolerant annuals are capable of tolerating cooler temperatures, often continuing to bloom even when the weather is still chilly. They come in a variety of colors, providing a splash of vibrancy to your garden during the early spring season.

When selecting cold-tolerant flowering annuals, be sure to check the hardiness rating for your specific zone and choose varieties that are known for their ability to withstand colder temperatures. While they are generally colder tolerant, a seriously deep freeze can take them out so always keep your eye on the weather so you can cover them with a frost blanket at night if you have to.

close up of sweet alyssum in purples and whites
Sweet Alyssum
close up of purple pansies and violas
Pansies

My Favorite Early Blooming Perennials

Perennials are an excellent choice for an everblooming, vibrant, and colorful spring garden display. Once established, perennials come back year after year, providing a reliable source of blooms in your garden with minimal work for you. This makes them a great option for busier gardeners that don’t want to replant new every year.

Perennials also come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes, allowing you to choose the perfect plants to suit your desired aesthetic and property conditions.

Of course, some are easier than others to grow. Here are some of my favorite easy-care early spring-blooming perennials.

  • Lenten Rose (Hellebores)
  • Myostotis (Forget-Me-Nots)
  • Creeping Phlox
  • Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
  • Lungwort
  • Epimedium
  • Brunnera
  • Virginia Bluebells
close up of pink hellebores
Hellebores
pink lenten rose hellebore in front of green fence in backyard garden
Pink Lenten Rose

My Favorite Early Blooming Shrubs

Another great way to add early-season color and vibrance is to add flowering shrubs. These shrubs often burst into bloom with showy flowers before the leaves emerge, creating a stunning focal point in your garden.

Flowering shrubs come in a range of colors, from bright yellows to pinks, purples, and whites, adding a burst of vibrancy and visual interest to your garden.

When selecting early spring blooming shrubs, consider factors such as the hardiness for your zone, the mature size of the shrub, and the available space in your garden. Because if you don’t, they will require more pruning and care than you may want to do.

Some of my favorite early-blooming shrubs include:

  • Forsythia
  • Spirea
  • Viburnum
  • Lilac
  • Azalea
  • Rhododendron
  • Ninebark
  • Elderberry
The driveway garden at sunrise with baby's breath spirea and daffodils in bloom

Final Thoughts About the Best Spring Flowers For Your Garden

Creating a truly captivating early spring garden with a continuous display and abundant blooms is within every gardener’s reach. By thoughtfully selecting a diverse palette of bulbs, annuals, perennials, and shrubs, you can orchestrate a symphony of color and texture that unfolds week after week.

Remember, a little planning in the fall and a focus on layering bloom times are your keys to unlocking a garden that bursts with life. Embrace the joy of those early blossoms – they are a promise of the vibrant season to come and a reward for your the work you put in before the season begins.

What are your favorite spring flowers? Have you planted these in your garden yet? I would love to know more in the comments below.

To learn more about spring flowering bulbs, check out this article from Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

Thank you so much for following along.

Enjoy a beautiful day! xo

Stacy Ling
The best flowers for early spring include tulips daffodils sweet alyssum pansies and hellebores
close up of pink tulips in the garden by a stone wall at sunset
The bricks \'n Blooms guide to a beautiful and easy-care flower garden book by stacy ling
The Bricks ‘n Blooms Guide to a Beautiful and Easy Care Flower Garden
  • Have you never met a plant you couldn’t kill?
  • Have you dug around in the dirt with nothing to show for it except a sunburn and a sore back?
  • Do you currently enjoy growing flowers, but are looking for more tips and ideas to level up your gardening game?

Then the Bricks ‘n Blooms Guide is for YOU

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 Comments