69 In Flowers/ Gardening

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

The spring gardening season is always full of anticipation and excitement here in New England.  Although the average last frost date for USDA zone 6a has passed, it's still dropping into the low 40's at night.  My garden beds are not filled to the brim with beautiful flowers yet, and the wait for blooms can seem like an eternity.  The first flowers to bloom in my garden are usually crocus, hyacinth and daffodils.  Once those flowers have finished blooming, it seems easy to enter into garden limbo.  Everything is growing, but it's hard to find flowers that flourish and fill in this empty gap. 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.comI have some personal favorites that help bridge this gap with color and growth during this time.  These flowers need to be able to withstand some of the harsh elements.  They need to hold up through heavy spring rainstorms, cool nighttime temperatures and an array of animals foraging for food that may include your foliage.  I have put together a list of my top five favorite varieties of perennials and shrubs that will thrive in your springtime garden.  It's Tuesdays in the Garden, so don't forget to scroll down after reading, and check out some other great spring flower guides!

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

Marie-Frances lilac

Lilac

Lilacs look as if they came right out of a fairytale.  They are popular spring blooming shrubs known for their intoxicating fragrance and gorgeous showy flowers.  Once you discover the beauty of these bushes, you will want to display them all over the yard for neighbors and guests to see.  They are very hardy plants, and will come back year after year if cared for properly.  These deciduous shrubs and multi stemmed small trees are most commonly purple.  Lilacs also come in different colors like pink, white and yellow.  My favorite has to be Marie Francis lilac bushes.  These plants produce a more unusually seen pastel pink blossom.  Here is a little bit more about Marie Frances French lilacs.


My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.comZone: 3 to 7
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Planting Time: Spring
Bloom Time: Late Spring
Average Height: 5 feet tall
Fun Facts: Attracts pollinators, cold hardy, makes great cut flowers


 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

Blue Moon Phlox

Phlox

Phlox are a perfect addition to any rock garden.  They come in a variety of colors and bloom times.  Blue Moon woodland phlox, otherwise known as Sweet Willam, boasts rich blue violet blossoms.  This flower get's it's nickname because of  it's sweet scent. Definitely a favorite perennial of mine in my shade garden.  Known to be a carefree plant, it can tolerate most growing conditions.  This variety will put on a beautiful show by late April.  If you are looking to provide pollinators with an early source of nectar, this is an excellent choice!  It is especially attractive to the Tiger swallowtail butterfly. Another favorite of mine is Emerald Pink creeping phlox. This makes a wonderful ground cover. 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

Emerald Pink creeping phlox

Zone: 3 to 8
Light Requirement: Shade
Planting Time: Spring
Bloom Time: Early Spring
Average Height: 12 inches tall
Fun Facts: Attracts pollinators, low maintenance , shade tolerant  


 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

Festiva Maxima peony

Peony

The peony brings any garden a rustic, old world look.  They are known to live long lives and bloom for many years.  Festiva Maxima Peonies have very large, white, fragrant blooms with a hint of glowy pink. These pretty flowers have specks of raspberry which make it particularly unique.  I always look forward to them beginning to blossom in late May.  Another favorite of mine would be the soft pink Sarah Bernhardt peony.  This classic flower has very large, double blossoms with a naturally feminine charm.  Both of these varieties make a perfect addition to any cottage style garden.  The one important lesson I've learned when it comes to peonies, is to always make sure to stake them early.  Their heavy blooms can droop low to the ground bending and damaging the stems during a rainstorm.  Make sure to take care of this early in the season so you don't miss out on these prized perennials. 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

Sarah Bernhardt peony

Zone: 3 to 8
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Planting Time: Spring
Bloom Time: Late Spring
Average Height: 36 inches tall
Fun Facts: Deer & rabbit resistant, fragrant , great cut flowers


 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

Tulip

Tulips are an obvious and standard spring flower.  They are a perennial bulb that comes in almost any color.  This lovely flower also varies in many different shapes and sizes.  Impressively, some varieties can last well into the middle of spring in my garden.  The Red Emperor tulip is definitely worth mentioning.  Some start to bloom in early April, then more show up, ready to bloom right before May begins.  It's amazing how these tulips just keep popping up here and there.  They are so easy to grow, and look especially divine in containers.  They boast extravagantly elegant red petals with their signature yellow striped interior.  Even as the flowers start to fade, the black centers help them continue to stun.  Have a bag of tulips you forgot to plant in your garden?  No problem!  Force them indoors and enjoy tulips all year round! 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.comZone: 3 to 8
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Planting Time: Fall
Bloom Time: Early Spring
Average Height: 16 inches tall
Fun Facts: Winter hardy, can be grown in containers,
great cut flower
Tip: Plant in part shade to enjoy a longer blooming time


 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

Renaissance spirea

Spirea

Spirea is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub known for it's gorgeous clusters of flowers.  Though these flowers may be tiny, they are profuse and sensational when they bloom in groups.  They range from bright pinks and purples, all the way to softer yellows and whites.  They look great as a border plant or in a wildlife garden, and also make a lovely addition to an all white moon garden.  My favorite variety is the Renaissance Spirea known for it's showy white blooms.  I am also growing the Double Play Artisan Spirea from Proven Winners in my yard.  It has fuchsia flowers, is very compact and very low maintenance.  In early spring, this variety has rich purple-red new growth that is equally as appealing as it's flowers.  I am such a fan of this shrub that I'm thinking of adding Double Play Painted Lady to my landscape this upcoming season!

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.comZone: 3 to 7
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Planting Time: Spring
Bloom Time: Mid-Spring
Average Height: 5 feet tall
Fun Facts: Attracts pollinators, fast growth rate, beautiful orange-red fall color
Tip: Make sure to water regularly and more often in extreme heat


 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

Tuesdays In The Garden

Now it's time to take a tour of some other fabulous gardens.  Stop by a splendid Pacific NW garden to see what's blooming, then learn about some easy care plants.  Take note of some favorite early spring perennials, and after that discover some flowering bushes you will just adore.  We all come together on Tuesdays to make you your very own gardening cheat sheets with a theme in mind!  Don't forget to pin anything that catches your attention for later, and give it a try yourself! 

My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com
My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com
My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com
My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my first peony bloom of the season.  The foliage is looking strong and filling my garden with some colorful greenery.  My Blue Moon Phlox started blooming about a week ago.  So happy to see some flowers thriving in the shade garden.  I have a group of Red Emperor tulips still lingering around my rock border, and the lilacs look as if they will burst open with blooms at any moment.  Crossing my fingers that my Renaissance spirea will closely follow behind.  Do you have a few varieties of spring blooms that you just couldn't live without?  Please add suggestions in the comment section below.  I'm always looking to expand my flower beds with some new favorites.  Anything blooming in your garden right now?  Send me a bit of cheer and tweet me your pictures @thefreckledrose.  Hope everyone is enjoying spring!  See you back here soon for another round of Tuesdays In The Garden.

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My Top 5 Spring Garden Blooms | angiethefreckledrose.com

 

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69 Comments

  • Reply
    Lisa Isabella Russo
    May 3, 2016 at 7:01 pm

    What lovely flowers! I hadn’t seen some of them before, thank you.

  • Reply
    image-in-ing: weekly photo linky
    May 3, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    What a stunning lilac – I’ve never seen anything like it!
    Thanks for linking up at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2016/05/snorkeling-on-saint-thomas.html

  • Reply
    Shanon
    May 3, 2016 at 6:30 pm

    Gorgeous choices. Thanks for the great info

  • Reply
    candy
    May 3, 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Love and have all but one of these flowers in my garden. Great tips.

  • Reply
    Christine | Vermilion Roots
    May 3, 2016 at 6:08 pm

    They are such pretty blooms. This would be my dream garden. 🙂

  • Reply
    Kim
    May 3, 2016 at 5:51 pm

    I absolutely love lilacs and peonies. Lilacs for the scent and peonies for the beauty. I have 3 peony bushes and would love to get more because there are so many varieties.

  • Reply
    Chauntel
    May 3, 2016 at 5:50 pm

    What a fantastic list. I adore lilacs, I have some very old bushes growing in my yard that have been here for a few decades now. I love them. I have one right outside my bedroom so when my window is open I can smell it. It is fabulous!

  • Reply
    Amy Scott
    May 3, 2016 at 5:49 pm

    No daffodils in May, my goodness! It seems the east coast skipped Spring altogether! I currently have thriving tulips at home in Ireland but I don’t now how they are withstanding the winds we’ve been having. This is really helpful to me because I always struggle (at least when I’m in Georgia!) with what plants handle sun the best.

  • Reply
    daisy
    May 3, 2016 at 1:51 pm

    All of the blooms you featured are so lovely. They are not grown here though, just too hot.
    Our daylillies should be blooming by next week and our amaryllis are in mid-bloom.

    Thank you for visiting The Maple Hill Hop this week!

  • Reply
    Jami
    May 3, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    So wish I could grow lilacs, but they don’t like me. 🙁 However, tulips and spirea are my friends! Great list, Angie – I’m waiting impatiently for my peonys to bloom!

  • Reply
    Anne @ The Fitly Spoken Word
    May 3, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    I LOVE lilac! All the spring flowers are beautiful, but I particularly love lilac.

  • Reply
    susan
    May 3, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    They are all lovely photos, but the one that really got me was the lilac. I love lilacs, but I’ve never seen one this color – absolutely beautiful!

  • Reply
    Ellen Chauvin
    May 3, 2016 at 12:12 pm

    Angie, what beautiful pictures! And I love your boots, too! Visiting you today from Intentional Tuesday!

  • Reply
    Shelly
    May 3, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    We had quite a few flowers in bloom already here. It’s been unusually warm and everything seems to have come into bloom early. I even have a flower on one of the hostas which usually doesn’t happen until late August. I hope your flowers come into bloom soon.

  • Reply
    Vickie @ Vickie's Kitchen and Garden
    May 3, 2016 at 9:45 am

    Our tulips and bleeding hearts are blooming here in Michigan. My spring vegetable garden is underway.

    I love phlox -I will have to try and grow some next year.

    Have a great day!

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