Now that spring has officially arrived and the sun has returned, our gardens are beginning to brim with activity. Bees are buzzing about visiting early flowers, foliage is emerging everywhere, and plants are awakening from winter dormancy. Perennials in particular are a welcome sight for this gardener’s eyes, as they finally spring back to life and fill up all the spaces in my garden that have been a little bare over the winter months. Some species will emerge a bit later or come on slowly in April on into early May, but there are some excellent early spring perennials that are already up, growing vigorously and showing some color.
We cannot talk about early spring perennials without starting with Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra sp.). These are some of the easiest to grow and most gratifying plants to emerge early, and there are some excellent cultivars to choose from. I seem to always be a sucker for foliage AND flower, so I gravitate towards cultivars with bright foliage like ‘Gold Heart’ or ‘Ruby Gold’, both with golden to limey foliage and pink (‘Gold Heart’) or red (‘Ruby Gold’) flowers. There is certainly nothing wrong with going with green foliage as their flowers are showy as well. Traditional Bleeding Heart cultivars (Dicentra spectabilis and cultivars) can reach two, or even three, feet tall and their flowers are more pinkish, but a flavor like ‘Valentine’ sports true red flowers. Our PNW native species (Dicentra formosa) is useful as well and stays a little shorter at about 18 inches. Some hybrids will have pure white flowers and some emerge with bluish-cast foliage (like ‘Amore Titanium’ – a new one coming soon). Whichever one you go with, be sure to place them in a rich, well-draining woodland setting with morning sun, partial sun, or dappled shade where they can thrive.
A couple of other great perennial choices for early spring color in shady woodland gardens are Lungwort (Pulmoneria sp.) and Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera sp.). These both offer some bold spring foliage and flower power for partial to full shade locations. Lungworts can take more sun and are excellent against deterring both slugs and rabbits, and selections can be found with pink, blue or white flowers. These pretty little bloomers have intricate variegated foliage, providing interest in the garden after blooming has finished. Lungworts are tidy and stay low in a clumping form, slowly spreading with time. Some excellent cultivars you can find in spring include ‘Raspberry Splash’ and ‘Silver Scimitar’, but honestly, almost every Lungwort is worthy of consideration. Bugloss (or Brunnera) offers the woodland garden large, bold, silver and white rounded foliage with older clumps reaching roughly 18 inches tall and 3 feet wide with age. They are in bloom now, sending up stalks with bright blue, forget-me-not-type flowers. There are a number of good options with these, all with sweet foliage, like ‘Sea Heart’ and ‘Queen of Hearts’ - but again, plenty of other cultivars are excellent as well.
For hot sunny areas in the garden, there is even more early-season flower power to consider. Many low, border plants shine in spring, often adorning our sunny rockeries. Plants like Candytuft (Iberis sp.), Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) and Carnations (Dianthus sp.) are all great choices for early spring color and often fragrance. I don’t think Candytuft needs much of an introduction as many people utilize these evergreen perennials already, but be sure to investigate newer more compact options, as well as ones with a touch of lavender or pink in the fragrant blossoms. Creeping Phlox is always a good low-growing choice for well-drained locations, and colors can be found in hot pink, red, or softer shades of blue. The world of Carnations (Dianthus) is immense these days as breeders continue to add worthy options for our gardens. These are super drought tolerant (once established), evergreen, rabbit resistant and easy to grow. They will form tidy clumps; some very tight to the ground while others may go up to 18 inches tall with longer bloom stalks. Many newer cultivars offer stunning fragrance, make great long-lasting cut flowers, and provide flower power starting now and repeating throughout the spring and summer, with a little deadheading here and there. Lots of good options exist for colors, allowing you to show your own gardening style. I might suggest looking at the ‘American Pie Collection’ as an example - a series that contains fun and fragrant choices like ‘Key Lime’, ‘Georgia Peach’, ‘Cherry’, ‘Bumbleberry’ and ‘Berry a la Mode’. Now that I am hungry for a sweet treat, I may just have to go get another for my own rockery.
Spring has sprung and the warm sunshine has begun to awake all of our favorite spring perennial garden goodies. These are some of the best, if you ask me, exciting us with early color after the grey days of winter. Be sure to stop into your local garden center to gaze upon all the treasures starting to bloom and talk with a Certified Professional Horticulturist about your gardening needs. You can help keep our local pollinators happy and thriving by adding some nectar and pollen-rich early spring perennials to the garden, and these flowers will make you smile and look forward to even warmer days ahead.
