Spring has arrived and with it a host of cheap and cheerful flowers you can buy and plant for instant colour. Nurseries and garden centres often sell spring flowers and bulbs in pots, ready to plant, so if you missed the boat back in autumn bulb-planting time, or aren’t able to grow from seed, here are the best plants to bring spring zing to your space.
Think long term
Some of the best spring plants are shrubs, such as Jasminum nudiflorum AGM, Mahonia aquifolium and of course Forsythia, and are all yellow-flowered. Shrubs tend to be more expensive to buy as they are long-term investments, providing happiness for years to come, so find out about your potential purchases and their needs using Find a Plant, checking you are buying the right plant for the right place. You can also buy shrubs as bare-root plants between around November and March, which is more affordable and environmentally friendly, and plants often establish better.
Choose blue
Blue is often seen as a restful, soothing colour but pair it with yellow and suddenly you create a vibrant and energetic zing in the garden – just what’s needed to sweep away the winter ‘blues’! Add blue grape hyacinths, Anemone blanda AGM and Scilla, all of which you can buy either potted now or as dry bulbs in autumn, and team it with perennial blue Pulmonaria. If you have space for a star shrub, evergreen Ceanothus bring arguably the best spring blues.
Undercover classics
Shady spots under trees are classic spring-planting spots for plants that do most of their growing before the trees leaf out – lovely examples include the wonderfully named epimediums, hellebores, bleeding hearts, foam flowers and lungworts. These make the most of the dappled light and fertile soil created by years of leafmould, before fading into the background as the tree canopy opens above them.
Potted spring
Consider camellias for containers, patio or balcony gardens. These evergreen shrubs flower freely in spring and their rich glossy green leaves are attractive for the rest of the year. They prefer an acidic soil so make good potted specimens as you can plant them in peat-free ericaceous compost.
Guy’s pick of yellow spring flowers
Pansies and violas make the perfect addition to a pot and bring their happy, colourful faces to any combination. They are also easy to grow with children or beginner gardeners.