“All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar.”
— Helen Hayes

In our last newsletter we discussed cool-toned perennials that can be added to a garden in early spring. Today we’ll share our favorite warm-toned early bloomers, boasting beautiful shades of pink, peach, orange, and plum.

First on our list is geum (Geum coccineum), a colorful garden filler that can grow up to 3 feet tall in 1-2 years.

Geum is known for its delicate, hairy foliage and gorgeous cup-like blossoms, in colors ranging from pale blush to deep orange. The flowers are delicate & papery, like a poppy. They tend to be short-lived, but are well worth the few weeks that they bloom. The best part about geum is that it forms nice full foliage in bushels and has lots of flowers, making it an ideal candidate for a spot that needs something larger to fill it up. Geum requires full sun and well draining soil. As this plant is nice and tall, it makes a great backdrop for an early spring garden.

Next up is Veronica (Veronica spicata), sometimes referred to as “Royal Candlesticks” because of its cylindrical spires. Medium in height, Veronica goes well in the middle tier of a garden.

Each stalk boasts hundreds of tiny little flowers that come in shades of bubblegum pink, rich warm purple, and white. (Note: this perennial also comes in cool tones like deep periwinkle and dark purple!) Veronica is a versatile flower in that it can tolerate both full sun and partial shade. It will do best with at least 6 hours of full sunlight a day, but if you are trying to liven up a more dappled, shady spot in your garden, this is the plant for you. Veronica begins blooming in mid April and can continue all the way into late June, bringing some light to your garden right after the winter months.

Last, but certainly not least, is Sweet William (Dianthus).

Sweet William is a small clumped perennial with feathery petals. The blooms come in peach, baby pink, and bubblegum pink with a red center. Sweet William enjoy full sun but can tolerate part shade, and prefer to be in draining soil. It is drought tolerant, meaning it can handle drier soils. You are more likely to overwater it than underwater. This early bloomer kicks off in late April and benefits from deadheading, which helps to extend its blooming period.

All of the plants mentioned above compliment the cool toned flowers outlined in our last newsletter. When planted together, these cool and warm tones create an early spring dreamscape. We planted a garden last year mixing warm and cool tones and it produced a color effect that reminded us of a sunset. The result is featured below:

Adding pops of stock and vinca annuals in a variety of warm and cool tones help support the lowest layer of the garden and punctuates the color contrast. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this early spring garden is how some flowers stand out in the sun and others shine in the shade. Either way, this botanical masterpiece is something that will really make you look forward to the early days of spring.

Happy planting!
Lucinda

If you would like to read more information on gardens and indoor plants check out our Get Inspired newsletter.

“Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the deity to be a source of delight.”
— John Ruskin

Did you know that spring blooms happen in two waves?

Early spring begins the last week of March and extends to the first week of May. Late spring starts in May and finishes at the end of June (June 20th marking the first day of summer). When planning a garden, many people tend to focus on flowers that are iconically tied to late spring (hello daisies and coneflowers!) and last through summer. Highly underrated and often overlooked are the varieties that bloom in the first six weeks of the season. These early spring flowers are vital during those early days of March and April, providing pretty pops of color after a dull, grey winter.

Today we will explore our garden team’s three favorite cool toned early spring perennials. One remarkable aspect of early spring bloomers is that there are many options in shades of blue and purple. As blue is the rarest of all flower colors, we suggest taking advantage of this rare opportunity to include it in your garden.

Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) is a low-growing ground spreader with baby blue, periwinkle, lavender, or white flowers. Requiring dappled sunlight or part sun/part shade, this wildflower will continue growing new blooms throughout the six week early spring period. Woodland phlox can also be planted in full sun but will likely need extra watering to keep it from drying out. Beautiful when placed on the edge of an elevated garden bed, it will eventually cascade down the sides. Woodland phlox can take over an area in a couple of seasons, so make sure you are managing its outward growth.

Forget-me-nots (Myosotis) bloom in calming shades of grey blue, baby blue, aquamarine, periwinkle, purple, as well as white, yellow, and pink. Like the woodland phlox, it’s a low grower and spreads easily. It can adapt to full sun, but prefers areas with dappled sun or part shade. An important thing to note about forget-me-nots is they require a good amount of moisture and will need to be watered more intensively than other flowers, especially in hotter areas.

A charming medieval legend illuminates how forget-me-nots were named, and became a symbol of eternal love and remembrance. The story goes that a French knight was walking along a river with his lady, bent down to pick a little blue flower for her, then fell into the river because of his heavy armour. Before sinking, he tossed the flower to her shouting “ne m’oubliez pas!” (“forget me not!”)

Our final pick, salvia (Salvia nemorosa), is a tall plant with soft oval leaves and spires of vibrant purple flowers. A pollinator staple, salvia thrives in full sun, making it the perfect choice for garden beds that tend to be drier. Our favorite varietal of salvia is called “caradonna” (above left). Caradonna salvia is one of the deepest purples you can get from a flower, making it a real show stopper in any garden. Salvia also comes in shades of blue, blue-violet, and lighter purple, and creates great contrast with pastel colored flowers. Salvia will begin blooming mid April and die off mid May, but if you trim back the flower stalks to the leaves at the base, you will get a second round of blooms that are slightly more spread out, but just as vibrant as the first round.

All three of these cool toned early spring perennials can be paired with annuals like stock (Matthiola incana) and vinca (Catharanthus roseus). Both stock and vinca come in cooler tones, like lavender and periwinkle. An interesting option is to pair some of your cool toned early spring perennials with warmer toned selections of stock and vinca to create a bold and beautiful visual contrast. In the next newsletter we will go over some warm toned early spring perennials that can be worked in to further accomplish this look.

These cool toned early spring perennials are often complimented by annuals like stock (Matthiola incana) and vinca (Catharanthus roseus). Both stock and vinca come in cooler tones, like lavender and periwinkles. An interesting choice is to pair some of your cool tone early spring perennials with warmer toned selections of stock and vinca to create a bold and beautiful visual contrast. In the next newsletter I will go over some warm toned early spring perennials that can be worked in to further accomplish this look.

Until next time!
Lucinda

If you would like to read more information on gardens and indoor plants check out our Get Inspired newsletter.

“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!”
– Sitting Bull

Who doesn’t love the early days of spring? Bulbs are popping, days are longer, and flip flops are back in the rotation. Celebrate the end of a long drab winter with welcoming pots packed with enchanting early spring flowers.

To create a bright and cheery spring container, I rely on the tried and true thriller, filler, spiller technique. For anyone needing a refresher on this, thrillers are the eye-catching, taller plants that go in the center of the pot; fillers are midsize and surround and enhance the thriller; spillers are the dreamy, cascading plants that drape over the sides.

With their dainty petals, wide range of colors, and long graceful stems, snapdragons are my top pick for a show-stopping early spring thriller plant. Add soft grass and curly willow branches to bring even more drama to the mix. Nemesia provide a pretty contrast with the snapdragons and should be placed outside of the grass and branches.

For the middle height and filler level, I like using osteospermum (African daisies) and pansies. Osteospermum come in an assortment of bright colors with a pretty purple center, and provide the ideal height so your container doesn’t look too flat. If you are going for a monochromatic look, fill in with pansies in different shades of purple and blue; if you want something more vibrant, plant pansies in every color of the rainbow.

My favorite spillers for early springtime are bacopa, lamium, and creeping Jenny. Spillers soften the edges of the container as they tumble toward the ground. They root the pot to the earth, and give the illusion that the flowers are growing naturally right out of the container.

Early spring containers are filled with cold-tolerant plants, but it’s important to keep an eye out for frost warnings or cold snaps, and move the pots indoors as needed. These temperamental beauties will also wilt in high heat, so shift them to a shady spot on sunnier days. They won’t last much longer than 8 weeks, but the fleeting beauty of early spring flowers is part of what makes them so magical.

Happy spring!

Laura

If you would like to read more information on gardens and indoor plants check out our Get Inspired newsletter.