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Today’s post is just as much for my benefit as I hope it is for yours. I’ve noticed a few things I’ve done wrong with my spring flowers and bulbs this year that I wish to correct in the fall, and I’m writing this as a reminder for myself. Despite some obvious setbacks, gardening in a colder New England climate (we’re zone 5b for cold hardiness, though it sometimes feels closer to zone 1) has its advantages. For one, you get 5+ months of rest from your toil, and plenty of time to learn, dream and plan all the wonderful things you’ll do with your garden come spring. Then reality kicks in and things perhaps don’t go as planned, but at least you tried. Gardening comes with a steep learning curve, but also many shortcuts and rewards.
Books can teach so much but it’s really in the doing that one feels the pleasures of gardening and the satisfaction of coaxing bounty out of the soil, be it fruits, veggies or flowers. And after a long winter, when nothing else is happening in the garden, it’s those spring flowers that bring life and color into the landscape, and daffodils are among my favorite.
One thing I’ve noticed this spring is that our daffodils took forever to bloom, while everyone else’s front yards were bursting with color! This is definitely something I’d like to change and plant different bulbs that bloom earlier in the season, and plant more of them. There are few things more cheerful in a spring garden than a massive bunch of floppy daffodils that punctuate the landscape and accent your garden’s focal points. Here’s a great mix of bulbs to keep in mind, which can be pre-ordered now for fall shipping:
Narcissus Rijnveld’s Early Sensation
Narcissus Thalia (one of the few daffodils that opens pure white)
Aside from daffodils, which are ubiquitous during a New England spring, there are wonderful flowering trees this time of year that I’d love to incorporate in our garden’s design. Right now magnolias are overflowing with large snow white (Royal Star Magnolias) and pink flowers, and look incredible against the bare landscape.
The Florida Dogwood, while still not in bloom in our climate, is another late spring favorite and a great source for flowering branches to bring indoors. My dogwood branches are faux but I hope to remedy that in the future 🙂
What’s blooming in your garden these days? Do you have any favorite spring flowers you’d like to recommend?
Hi Eva,
I’m a California gardener and reside in zone 9. Having grown up gardening due to my mom’s love of the garden. Even though I have learned new things almost every year, you are so right, practical trial and error has been the most effective since there are many variables involved. Good luck.
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Hi Karen,
Thank you so much! Any zone in which dahlias are perennials is a dream zone to me! Enjoy! 🙂
xo, Eva