Springtime Blooms

Here is the place for additional observations on Spring bloomers. Much of the information growing tulips and daffodils applies to other bulbs and there are many perennials that bloom in the spring. Certain shrubs seem to be the very essence of a spring garden, and I wanted an area to describe some of these.

Hyacinths are not quite as showy in variety of color as tulips, but they have quite a presence in both sight and scent. I like them in group to themselves underplanted with violets or a low-growing carpet of thyme. It is very popular to have a group within the bulb beds of other types as well. They are much the same as tulips, except that they are more dependably perennial. Usually they come in shades of violet-blues, pinks, and white, but there is an apricot colored variety called " Gypsy " that is very beautiful.

There are several types of alliums in widely differing heights. I especially like the taller "Drumstick" ones for their height and soft purple color. I have a small stand overplanted with daylilies. These alliums bloom toward the end of the season, May and June. The little "rosy bells" , Allium ostrowskianum, are described in my Bulbs page.

Large Frittilarias are interesting. I really like the " Persicum " the best. It is a plummy purple. The "imperialis" is very showy, and has a skunky smell. Maybe this is why it is reputed to keep rodents away from other susceptible bulbs. I couldn't keep it long enough to tell, I think it is only marginally hardy in my area, although some list them as zone 4 ( which is plenty hardy).

The larger scillas are something between the minor bulbs and the full hyacinths. They are often called "English Bluebells", and there are two sorts which keep changing nomenclature. They aren't really called scillas, anymore, but have been the same plant, essentially, in gardens. Whether you choose the "nonscripta" or the "Hispanica" the plants look the same in the garden and grow under the identical conditions here. They need a bit more of the woodland conditions of moisture and semi-shade, but I have some under a rosebush with sweet woodruff, that have persisted.

Of all the garden books, and garden writers, Helen Van Pelt Wilson was always my favorite. You don't hear much of her books, now, but she inspired and delivered knowledgeable advice. It was her writing that sparked my creativity to garden and try such shrubs and small trees as the viburnum and the fringe tree. I still wish I had a back yard stream to try the lovely ideas for a stream garden. Iris ensata calls to me. ( Not the dead ones I tried to grow here...they have given way to Siberian irises.)

Spring blooming Shrubs

Shrubs will be part of the framework of your garden, and the spring bloomers are always strong favorites. In the Midwest, Lilacs are the usual association with spring. If you grow a lilac, (and I have a number of them) it is a good idea to keep them well pruned right after they bloom. They grow very large, are prone to mildew, and can have problems with borers. They are gorgeous in their bloom season, though.

My very favorite is the Viburnum Carlesii. I grow a few different kinds of viburnum, but this is my all time first choice in a shrub. I also like Lonicera fragrantissima. Both are sweetly fragrant, the viburnum with spice and showy flowers, the Winter Honeysuckle with a sweet lemon and subtle cream color bloom. The Honeysuckle will scent its entire area of the yard, although it can be susceptible to die-back. No fears, just cut it back mercilessly, it responds to that. The viburnums are best pruned in a naturalistic removal of old and excess branches. The Spring is a short season, and a shrub that is interesting for more than one season is always an asset. That is why I especially like the viburnum family. Good disease-free leaves, flowers, berries for birds, are considerations. Viburnums as a group are renowned for their good looks through the seasons, so the Carlesii is a good choice in a mixed border. More on the Shasta viburnum plicatum in my blog.

The flowering quinces, Chaenomeles speciosa, are lovely, though some grow large and twiggy. Jet Trail is very compact and has snowy white blooms. The common quince is coral, and they all produce a small aromatic fruit in the fall. In fact, I like to pick these and put them in a bowl to fragrance the indoors in early fall. I used to, before the county destroyed my plants, but I plan new ones for my driveway entrance this spring. The "Jet Trail." bushes do not produce as many fruits as the other types, but that is not what you grow this sort for; that would be 'Cydonia oblonga' .

I have a forsythia in an out of the way place, which I don't pay much attention to, but the memories of forsythias are entrenched in my youth. The great weeping types of my mothers porch and the huge specimen of a neighbors provided secret hideouts under the arching branches. I hate clipped forsythias. They are ugly- so don't grow them where you must maim them. The bright yellow blooms are quintessentially spring when the late frosts don't ruin them.

My newest favorite are the shrubby magnolias."Stellata" is good, and I am trying out "Jane", both in somewhat unprotected areas. Spireas are stalwarts, so I use those, and Daphnes are a new addition that seem a bit twiggy, but I like their later blooms. The azaleas keep dying off, but if you can grow them in the moist, acidic, and protected areas they need, there is nothing lovelier or showier in a spring flowering shrub. Non-pareil is the word for the rhododendron group. I am really sorry I can't grow them. If you pair them with dogwood trees and heathers, it is really a sumptuous picture.