After the long, gray, cold and rather dreary winter, the spring flowers are the first splash of color in the garden. They delight eyes and hearts with bright colors. Whether in the bed, on the lawn, in pots or boxes, the first tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and others spread a good mood. They are offered in pots early in the year, often as early as January. However, these plants are too sensitive for outdoors. They are not hardened and usually do not survive frost. They can only be further cultivated in the apartments and houses. But it’s too warm there and the beautiful spring bloomers will be gone in no time.
Table of Contents
spring flowers
A characteristic of all spring bloomers is that they are planted in autumn. In general terms, the bulbs are planted two to three times as deep as they are tall. It is important to note that the foliage of the faded spring flowers is not cut off. This is especially important with crocuses that are standing on the lawns. The leaves have to wither first. It can then be easily pulled out of the ground.
A to G
Anemonen
Anemones are buttercups. The wood anemones bloom first, then the normal anemones. The best-known anemones are certainly the crown and garden anemones. There are varieties with normal and double flowers. A total of 150 types of these spring flowers can be distinguished. Small varieties such as A. blanda “Blue Shades”, “Charmer” or “White Splendor” are ideal for the garden. They are ideal for naturalization and reproduce by themselves. After one or two years they form dense carpets. There are also beautiful varieties of crown anemones in the colors blue, red, pink and white. I love the wood anemones. There are also many different types of them. However, only a few breeders offer a selection of these, so you have to look for something. They are also quite expensive.
Blaustern
Bluestars are the real scillas. They are also small and delicate and enjoy great popularity. They are much better known than the sham scillas. There are numerous types and varieties. Not all of them have blue flowers. There are also different sizes and shapes of flowers. Many varieties are quite unknown. It is worthwhile to click through the individual varieties. A large selection can be found on Wikipedia.
H to M
Hyazinthen
Hyacinths belong to the asparagus family. There are three species, all of which bloom in spring, Hyacinthus litwinowii CZERNIAK, H. orientalis L., and H. transcaspicus LITV. The H. orientalis is the completely normal garden hyacinth. It is suitable for borders, planters and even for growing indoors. In the past, hyacinths were even used for the perfume industry, which suggests that these spring flowers have a great scent.
There are over 100 varieties with a color spectrum ranging from pale to dark purple blue, pale and dark pink, red, light and dark yellow, orange, salmon-colored and white. Double flowers are particularly beautiful for me, but the flower heads become very heavy and bend towards the earth. You must be well supported!
Hyacinths thrive in almost any soil and don’t need a lot of maintenance.
Imperial crowns (also dwarf varieties)
Imperial crowns belong to the lily family. Most plant lovers only know the large specimens, but they are really very noticeable. There are also numerous small fritillaria. The imperial crown is also known for its vole-deterrent effect. The large specimens can have yellow, orange, and red flowers. I find the Persian imperial crown particularly interesting (F. persica “Adiyaman”). The numerous plum-blue flower bells are quite noticeable in the spring garden. These flowers are particularly suitable for heather gardens. However, the onions are expensive.
The dwarf varieties are also very beautiful, especially the so-called checkerboard flower. They convince with their delicacy and graceful growth. Personally, I don’t like the big imperial crowns that much. I only have the little ones in the garden, but that’s a matter of taste. I don’t have voles for that either.
Crocus
Crocuses are often the first spring flowers to open their blossoms after the winter lumps. Crocus belong to the iris family. There are many varieties and hybrids. They are not only suitable for pots and beds, but also for lawns, as many varieties grow wild. However, a distinction is made between spring and autumn flowering crocuses. The autumn flowering varieties are not to be confused with the similar autumn crocus.
There are around 90 species and many sub-genera. The spring bloomers include: Crocus chrysanthus, C. sieberi, C. biflorus, C. vernus, C. albiflorus, C. versicolor, C. fleischeri and many more.
Crocuses are good for growing wild. However, you should not then mow the leaves. Do not mow the lawn until the leaves can be easily pulled out of the ground. The seeds are now ripe and fall out. This allows the crocuses to reproduce well and form dense carpets. However, crocuses in the lawn often do not get enough nutrients because the lawn draws them.
Märzenbecher
The Märzenbecher is similar to the snowdrop, but overall it is larger and stronger. The Märzenbecher also often blooms before the snowdrop, especially in a sunny location. This early bloomer also belongs to the amaryllis family. It does best in groups, but does not form large stands. You have to know that the whole plant is poisonous.
N to T
Pushkinia (Scheinscilla)
The pushkinia is one of my favorites in the spring garden. When planted in groups, these small plants look like a carpet of flowers. I especially like the variety Puschkina scilloides libanotica, pale porcelain-blue flowers with dark blue central stripes on each petal. The price is also sensational. 50 pieces cost about 5 euros. The pink or white varieties are also pretty. The spring flowers grow in any garden soil and do not need any care. They reproduce by self-sowing and should not be missing in any garden.
Daffodils
For many, daffodils are the most beautiful spring flowers. There are also numerous fragrant varieties of them, so-called scented daffodils. These should be planted close to the terrace or in pots right away, which can then be placed close to us so that you can also smell something.
Daffodils belong to the amaryllis family and are often referred to as daffodils. There are around 24,000 forms of culture. Unfortunately, not many varieties are available in the flower trade. If you want to try other varieties, you usually have to use the Internet.
Daffodils and their hybrids are divided into 12 classes. Decisive for the categorization are the shape and length of the corolla, number of flowers per stem, flowering time and a lot more. The game species run extra.
One differentiates, for example:
- Cyclamen daffodils
- Angel’s tears daffodils
- Yellow and golden yellow daffodil
- Italian daffodil
- Musk daffodil
- Peacock-eye daffodil
- Crinoline Daffodil
- Spanish daffodil
- Star daffodil
- Bouquet daffodil
- Christmas daffodil
- White daffodil and some more
snowdrop
The snowdrop belongs to the amaryllis family. It is one of the first spring bloomers. There are around 20 species, e.g. the Caucasus snowdrop, the dainty snowdrop, the Caspian snowdrop, the Queen Olga snowdrop, the broad-leaved snowdrop, the small snowdrop and many more. Snowdrops are not exactly bargains, but wherever they feel comfortable, they reproduce well and in a few years you will have significantly larger populations. I especially like the stuffed snowdrop.
Grape hyacinths
The grape hyacinths also belong to the asparagus family. They are very perennial plants that multiply easily and form dense carpets. There are about 60 types. The best known are the sky-blue grape hyacinth, the small, the tufted, the broad-leaved, the large-fruited and the vineyard grape hyacinth. I especially like Muscari “Pink Sunrice” and Muscari “Valerie Finnnis”. Both varieties are well suited for naturalization. The delicate colors go well anywhere. Grape hyacinths do not do any work. They just need to be planted. The rest is done by nature.
Tulips
Tulips belong to the lily family. There are around 150 species and loads of strains, in all colors, shapes, and sizes. 80 percent of the tulip bulbs come from the Netherlands. The Dutch have specialized in this and offer over 1,200 different varieties alone. In literature, these spring flowers can stand for transience, in the language of flowers, on the other hand, for love and affection.
A distinction is made among other things: simple early and double early, Triumph tulips, Darwin hybrids, simple and double late, lily-flowered, fringed tulips, Rembrandt tulips, parrot tulips, Kaufmanniana tulips, Fosteriana tulips, Greigli tulips and many more. Unfortunately, many tulips no longer smell. The scent was often sacrificed for striking colors and shapes. However, you can also find very beautiful and at the same time fragrant varieties of tulips. But you usually have to search for something and you won’t find it in the discounter.
U to Z
winterlinge
Winterlings are usually the first splash of color in the garden. They usually bloom as early as February. However, the winterling is highly poisonous. Especially those who have children and pets should pay attention to this. Consumption can, depending on the amount, lead to death.
Ornamental onion – Allium
With their large spherical flowers up to 30 cm in diameter, ornamental onion plants are striking beauties. They tower over most of the plants in bloom at the time and are easy to spot in the garden. Most varieties look like oversized chives. The color spectrum ranges from dark purple to magenta to white. Even yellow varieties are possible. Ornamental onions come in many sizes and heights, depending on your needs. However, not all varieties bloom in spring. Early flowering varieties are: A. ‘Mont Blanc’, A. nigrum, A. ‘Purple Sensation’, A. triquetrum, A. unifolium, A. bulgaricum, A. ‘Gladiator’, A. ‘Lucy Ball’ and many more. Almost all of them bloom in May, so they do not belong to the absolute early bloomers.
Conclusion
There are a lot of spring flowers. We cannot list them all here. The most common are certainly tulips and daffodils, of which there are many varieties. The choice is a matter of taste. But it must also be said that many of the plants are over-bred. They bloom one season and the next year they’re gone. This does not happen with the old varieties or the wild species. They come back reliably and keep their color. With many tulips it happens that after a few years they simply turn yellow, which is annoying.
I prefer fragrant varieties, no matter which spring bloomer. I especially like scented daffodils and varieties that you won’t find in every garden. I’m certainly not alone in this.
