Top 10 Early Blooming Spring Perennials to Grow in your Garden

Are you dreaming of setting up a garden? Here are some early-blooming spring perennials for your garden plans. Besides beautifying your garden, they will support you in the long run and require only low maintenance.

Check out the top 10 early-blooming spring perennials that perfectly complement your gardening plans.

10Cushion Spurge

Cushion Spurge

Cushion Spurge is a popular early-blooming spring perennial that can tolerate drought and thrives in full sun. Its bright golden-yellow flowers, set against a cushion of light green leaves, make for a stunning display in the spring. Rather than being grown in containers, this plant works well as an edging in rock gardens.

It also pairs nicely with other spring-flowering bulbs, particularly Spring Green tulips. Well-drained soil and a partial sunshade are ideal for its optimal growth. While it does tend to self-seed, it is not genuinely invasive like other plants that spread uncontrollably.

9Blue False Indigo

Blue False Indigo

Blue false indigo, also known as Baptisia, is a beautiful perennial legume that can be a great addition to your garden. It was named after the blue dye it used to produce as a substitute for true indigo. Pea-shaped blue flowers on the lupine-like spires look spectacular in full bloom.

These ornamental shrubs are popular in native gardens, including traditional cottages and modern landscapes. Inch-long flowers come in different colors, ranging from pale to intense indigo blue, with some white cultivars also available. They look stunning alongside ornamental grasses, making for an eye-catching contrast.

See Also:

10 Most Beautiful Roses For Your Garden

Roses have been celebrated for centuries for their beauty, fragrance and to represent something. You...
Nature

8Dutchman’s Breeches

Dutchman's Breeches

Dutchman’s Breeches are delightful small perennials that bloom in early spring and grow up to eight inches tall. They offer a unique visual experience to gardeners when planted in suitable locations. Their flowers, which range from white to pink, have two pale yellow lobes at the base and grow in a terminal inflorescence that arches over the leaves.

Each cluster comprises at least 14 individual flowers. The flower has two white outer petals, while the smaller inner petals have a pale-yellow hue. Once they have bloomed, the stems and leaves will fall to the ground, making way for other late-spring blooms to take their place.

7Bergenia

Bergenia

Bergenia is a versatile and valuable perennial that adds color to the shaded areas of your garden. It can thrive in sunny and shady environments. Sometimes called “pig squeak” because of the noise its leaves make when they rub together. These plants are also adaptable to different soil conditions and require minimal maintenance.

They have nicely branched upright stems that produce a beautiful display of bright pink flowers. These flowers are a rich source of pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies. As slowly creeping perennials, they can provide ground cover in your garden without becoming invasive.

6Creeping Phlox

Creeping Phlox

Creeping phlox is a perennial groundcover that usually grows in early spring. Many of the varieties available for purchase result from extensive research and genetic improvements spanning several decades.  Despite this, planting and maintaining these plants does not require specialized knowledge.

During the early spring, the plant produces star-shaped flowers that envelop the entire plant. As creeping phlox ages, it may become more woody and stop producing flowers. Thicker growths can be removed from the plant to encourage blooming on softer stems.

5Columbine

Columbine

The Columbine is a lovely perennial flower featuring a bell or buttercup shape. Its five-petal bloom sits within five long backward-extending spurs and comes in various colors. These flowers cross-pollinate quickly, leading to frequent new sprouts.

An Email A Day Keeps Boring Away
Grab our Newsletter. Never miss a list from TMW.

Columbines are an excellent option for your garden, with bi-colored petals ranging from bright red, pink, blue, lavender, and yellow to white or a combination of these colors. They thrive in containers and pair well with daylilies, foxgloves, irises, poppies, and peonies.

4Bloodroot

Bloodroot

Bloodroot is an herbaceous perennial that forms colonies by spreading under favorable conditions. A mass of bloodroot flowers with intriguing shapes and colors makes your garden stunning. Flowers that are mostly appearing in white, with some rare light pink varieties, bloom in early spring.

Although the flower only lasts for a day or two after pollination, the double and multiplex forms have extra petals that modify the stamens, making them ideal for garden plants. This modification reduces the chances of pollination but extends the lifespan of the flowers.

3Bleeding Heart

Bleeding Heart

The Bleeding Heart is a beautiful woodland perennial that thrives in shady woodland areas. It boasts charming pink flowers that look like hearts, and one of the petals hangs down, resembling a “bleeding heart.” However, it can be vulnerable to strong winds and requires some protection.

Once planted, this plant is low-maintenance and can tolerate drought while thriving in moist soil. It produces an impressive number of flowers in the spring, with each plant yielding around 20 blooms that can last for weeks. Moreover, the Bleeding Heart is capable of self-seeding to ensure its long-term presence in your garden without spreading uncontrollably.

2Rock Cress

Rock Cress

Rock Cress, also known as Rock Wall Cress, is a herbaceous perennial that produces beautiful pink or white flowers. It can be an attractive addition to any garden, dangling over rocks or creating a lovely border in a rock garden. Once established, these flowers require minimal care, only needing to be watered when the soil becomes dry.

The flowers are visually appealing, edible, and emitting a pleasant fragrance. While they thrive in full sun, they can also handle some shaded environments, particularly in warmer climates. It’s important to regularly prune the plant by removing dead flowers to encourage new growth and ensure the plant remains healthy.

Related Articles

1Hellebore

Hellebore

Hellebore is a herbaceous perennial that welcomes spring with its rose-like blossoms. You can purchase potted nursery specimens, either selected or hybridized, for specific colors to plant a particular variety.

Hellebores get along well with daffodils and tulips and last for six to eight weeks before drying in position on the stems. These charming flowers are often described as ‘nodding’ and can be planted on a hillside by gardeners to get the perfect view. Newer varieties of hellebore are available that stand even more upright.