Start Spring Right

Although it always seems to take a while to get here, spring is the best time to be a gardener. The air is turning mild, plants are returning full of vigor, and everything is yet to come. This first season of the garden is also the time to do anything and everything. With the exception of pruning early bloomers, spring is the right time for almost any garden task: cutting back, redesigning, building, planting, dividing—you name it.

Spring is also the time for a large number of plants to bloom. Starting with bulbs (which you should have planted last fall!) like daffodils (Narcissus spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9) and perennials like hellebores (Helleborus spp. and cvs., Zones 4–8), you can have flowers in your garden from the last chance of snowflakes to the first time you think about turning on the air conditioner.

If any of your projects involve digging plants up, this is the perfect time to do it. Your plants will have a few seasons to get established again before having to go through winter dormancy. So redesigning a bed or rearranging your combinations are ideal tasks for this time of year. The same is true of propagating—especially if you want to divide your plants. With most of the growing season left to come, you will also be able to see the results of your labors before next year (and perhaps realize that you need to fix some arrangements in fall).

With so many plants flowering in spring, it can be easy to miss some truly amazing plants. This collection will introduce you to many of them and show you how to arrange them. We will also show you how to use pansies, the quintessential annual for adding charm to an early-season bed. And spring is actually a great time to plant bulbs that will bloom in spring and fall. If you have some shady beds, this is the time of year they strut their stuff, and we will show you a few gems you might want to add to make the season even more special.

So take advantage of the season, and remember that in spring, everything is possible.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Pruning Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Pruning Simplified shows you exactly how to do it. This must-have guide offers expert advice on the best tools for the job, specific details on when to prune, and clear instructions on how to prune. Profiles of the 50 most popular trees and shrubs—including azaleas, camellias, clematis, hydrangeas, and more—include illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions that will ensure you make the right cut the first time.

Buy at Amazon

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Doug Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area.

Buy at Amazon

Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Featuring gorgeous photography and advice for landscapers, Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is dedicated to the idea of a new nature—a hybrid of both the wild and the cultivated—that can nourish in our cities and suburbs.

Buy at Amazon

• 
  Design

  Spring Planting Ideas

• 
  Design

  Spring Plant Combinations for Seasonal Interest

• 
  Design

  Simplify Your Color Scheme

  Taking a disciplined approach lets you harmonize your plant palette without stifling diversity

• 
  Design

  Spring Containers for Every Style

  Whether you want a traditional tapestry or a more modern motif, these designs will kick your season off right

• 
  Design

  Celebrate Spring with Cool-Season Containers

  Fill your pots with colorful plants that don't mind chilly weather

• 
  Article

  Pansies Make Perfect Pots

  Finding the right companions is the key to keeping these springtime containers looking good—even into summer

• 
  Design

  9 Perennials to Liven Up Your Spring Garden

• 
  Design

  5 Spring Beauties to Start the Gardening Season Off Right

• 
  Design

  Sturdy Spring Plant Options to Lean On

• 
  Design

  Spectacular Spring Bloomers

  These perennials are the light at the end of the long, wintry tunnel

• 
  Design

  A Parade of Spring-Flowering Trees

  These North American natives put on a spectacular show

• 
  Design

  Hellebores Cure the Late-Winter Blues

  Here's what to look for when choosing the best Oriental hybrids

• 
  Design

  An Early Spring Plant With a Tropical Sizzle

• 
  Design

  If You’re Not Growing Geums, You’re Missing Out

• 
  Design

  A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Peonies

  All three types offer something different, from shade tolerance to long bloom seasons

• 
  Design

  Guide to Growing Brunnera

• 
  How-To

  Native Perennials to Start from Seed

• 
  Design

  Bulbs for Summer and Fall

  You can plant these in spring for an array of bold flowers later in the year

• 
  How-To

  It’s Not Too Early to Get Outside

  Put down your catalogs, put on your gloves, and get a jump-start on spring chores.

• 
  How-To

  10 Chores That Can’t Wait at the Start of Gardening Season

• 
  How-To

  An Easy Way to Get More Dahlias

• 
  How-To

  Dividing Perennials: Tools, Techniques, and Timing

  Take your cues from root systems and weather conditions

• 
  How-To

  The Dangers of a Spring Cold Snap

  Why does a plant that endured winter cold suddenly suffer when spring temperatures drop a bit?

• 
  How-To

  Lawn Talk: Springtime Blotchiness May Be a Symptom of Fungal Disease