It may seem as though winter has only just left but I’ve been wandering around my garden and thinking about next year’s spring flowers.
It’s the perfect time to spot gaps in borders and the dull corners that just need the lift of a few bulbs. You can also see what’s doing really well and should be bulked up or repeated elsewhere.
Leave it much longer and the existing flowers will fade and summer foliage will hide those springtime holes.
Perennials, such as hellebores, primulas and pulmonaria, can be bought now while they’re in flower, making it easier to choose exactly the right plant.
Look out for plant fairs, such as the Rare Plant Fairs, or visit the Independent Plant Nurseries Guide to find your nearest specialist grower.
When it comes to bulbs for spring flowers, these need planting in the autumn so make copious notes, or, better still, take photos of your borders to pinpoint where more need to go – you’ll be surprised how different those spaces will look at planting time in September and October.
I’ve been gradually improving the early show in my garden, adding more snowdrops and crocus in particular. It really starts to get into its stride later this month when the tulips begin but there is still plenty to see now.
Here are my top five early spring flowers.
Daffodils
There’s something so cheerful about daffodils and I love them. However, I’m not so keen on the big varieties and their leaves can be a nuisance after flowering – you should leave them to die down naturally to allow the bulb to build up food for the following year.
I prefer the daintier daffodils, such as Tête à Tête. My favourite though and one that is looking great at the moment is ‘February Silver’. It’s a bit later flowering this year, due to the cold weather, but none the worse for that.
I spotted it at an NGS garden some years ago and fell in love with its pale lemon colour, so much nicer than the sometimes brash yellow of so many daffodils.
The light tone also shows up well in low light levels – perfect for the early part of the year – and I’m already thinking about putting more nearer the house where I can see them when the weather keeps me inside.
Crocus
Crocus are one of the stalwarts of the garden’s early spring flowers. Tougher than their somewhat delicate appearance would suggest, they’ve shrugged off heavy rain and snow in my garden this year, proving an absolute delight.
My favourite has been ‘Pickwick’, which has quite big purple flowers with a lovely stripe. It seems to be ignored by the birds as well, unlike the yellow varieties, which they seem to take delight in attacking.
I’m slowly naturalising an area of grass under my old apple tree and planted 100 more crocus last autumn. It still isn’t enough and more are planned for later this year.
I’m also going to put more under deciduous trees and shrubs where they will provide colour before the foliage appears above them.
Pulmonaria
Pulmonaria is one of those plants which revels in numerous names: lungwort, Mary and Joseph, Soldiers and Sailors are just some that I know.
There are lots of varieties with a range of flower colour and leaves, some mottled, some plain green.
In my garden Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’ is a favourite and its dark blue flowers are looking really good. They do need the contrast of something lighter though to really show them off and I’m considering moving some of my pale lemon primroses alongside to give the necessary foil.
Euphorbia
Lime green is such a useful colour in the garden. It goes with everything from red and orange to blue and purple, the perfect foil and with more of a zing than any other green.
Euphorbias like my rather poor, sandy soil and so I grow several. E. characias subsp. wulfenii has been flowering since before Christmas and in a month or so E. polychroma will put up its acid yellow bracts, while E. amygdaloides var. robbiae is happily filling a challenging corner. It can spread but when the lime green flowers appear I forgive it anything.
At the moment though, the stage belongs to E. myrsinites which has just started to ‘flower’ – what look like flowers are in fact bracts.
It is used to soften the edge of a retaining wall and is so happy it’s self-seeded into the edge of the steps. The bright lime-green will last for some weeks and the glaucous leaves look good year-round.
Last year, I added one alongside my bench in the green and white border and am planning to find a self-seed to put the other side.
Anemone blanda
The Anemone blanda always catch me by surprise. For most of the year, I forget they are there and it’s only when the first feathery leaves appear that I remember them.
These dainty daisy-like flowers are as uncomplicated as they are unassuming. I put in a few corms some years ago and they have steadily spread, with no input from me.
Again, they are the perfect plant for those ‘difficult’ areas under shrubs and trees and the space they occupy in my garden is covered over later in the season with geranium and phlox that at the moment are only just showing signs of growth.
Eventually, I’d like a much bigger display and am considering ‘lifting the skirts’ of a substantial holly to plant more. Yet another note for next year’s spring flowers plan.