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The Spring Garden Delights the Senses with Color and Scent
The spring garden is a feast for the senses. Winter has been long and cold and it seems like Spring will never arrive, but then there are subtle signs--snowdrops may suddenly appear through a crust of melting snow, the grass seems greener, the birds more active, and buds begin to swell. It is hard to take everything in as plants rush to bloom in rapid succession. There is much to do, but the spring garden is a pleasure to work in among the fresh green shoots, the soft scented air and the feel of the earth after the cold gray of winter.
“In the spring, at the end of the day,you should smell like dirt.”
― Margaret Atwood
Here are some landscape ideas for your garden using flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and vines
Spring, of course, is the season for most flowering trees--cherries, magnolias, dogwoods, crabapples, and many more. There are many delightful choices for any size garden. Choose several flowering trees that will give you a succession of bloom throughout the season. For instance, deciduous magnolias to be followed by Yoshino cherries, then redbuds, dogwoods and crabapples.
Most flowering shrubs, too, are at their peak now. From the earliest witch hazels and forsythias to azaleas, lilacs and viburnums, the colors and scents of spring flowering shrubs are a delight.
What would the spring garden be without bulbs in bloom! It's fun
to watch for signs of spring bulbs poking their noses from the
earth for then we know that winter is almost over. In fact, it's
late January as I write this in my Zone 7b Georgia garden, and
almost all of my daffodils have appeared, and 'February Gold' is
already blooming, but it's been a mild winter. I'm waiting for some new tulips to bloom that I planted in a container last fall. Called 'Albert Heijn,' they are a from the Fosteriana (or Emperor) group, and are a lovely pink flushed with purple.
And, of course, this is the time of year when everyone's favorite
perennials bloom. Mine include irises, poppies, peonies and
dianthus. It's great fun to try new varieties and combinations.
Vines, too, play an important role in the garden including jasmine, honeysuckle, clematis and wisteria to name a few. Add a vertical element to the garden with a trellis, arbor or fencing on which to grow vines or climbing roses.
Click here for a list of spring flowering bulbs.
Click here for a list of spring flowering shrubs.
Click here for a list of spring flowering trees.
Click here for a list of spring flowering perennials.
Plant of the Month
Nymphaea
'Barbara Dobbins'
Updated new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023.
