Spring Flowers for Your Garden
If you are going to have a flower garden, start with the flowers you like best. But there are other things to consider, too, in making your selections. It is wise for a beginning gardener to plant seeds that are easy to grow. Marigolds, zinnias, sweet alyssum, and nasturtiums are among the easiest flowers to grow.
Some flowers grow better in certain parts of the country depending on the climate. Another thing to consider is the season when the flowers will bloom. If you are careful to choose some spring, some summer, and some fall flowers, your garden will be in continuous bloom for many months.
Most of the earliest spring flowers grow from bulbs and corms. Often before the last snows have melted, low clumps of lavender, purple, yellow, and white crocuses appear. Crocuses can be planted in the lawn as well as in the garden. They will come up year after year if their leaves are allowed to wither before the grass is cut. After the crocuses, the members of the narcissus family begin to bloom. There is the narcissus itself, a fragrant flower with white petals around a short center crown, or cup; the daffodil, which has bright yellow petals around a deep center cup; and the yellow jonquil, which grows in clusters on a single stem.
Then the hyacinths appear. These are short, fragrant spikes of blue, white, or rose-colored flowers. They are especially pretty when they are planted in informal clusters. Tulips are an important part of any spring garden. They have been cultivated for centuries. Today they bloom almost in every color from pale ivory to deep purple. There are some two-toned tulips, and the fringed petals of the parrot tulip are often flecked with green. Yellow, white, and purple irises add color to the garden in the late spring.
Many favorite spring flowers are perennials. Columbines, primroses, English daisies, violets, and lilies of the valley are in this group. Wild blue and white violets can be transplanted and grown in the garden. The lily of the valley, with its sweet-smelling white flowers shaped like tiny bells, grow well in a shady spot. Each year the plants increase. One of the largest and most striking of the spring perennials is the peony. Its flowers are made up of velvety white, pink, or deep-red petals. The plant, which is 2 or 3 feet tall, is like a shrub or bush.
A number of other spring flowers must be planted every year or 2 years for the best results. Richly-colored pansies and delicate-blue forget-me-nots are in this group. Both are low-growing and combine well with spring bulbs. Sweet William, a relative of the carnation, is one of the most brilliant of spring flowers. Each of the stalk of the plant has a rounded cluster of white, pink or red blossoms. The blossoms have eyes, or centers, of a contrasting color.