According to Shakespeare, April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.
This has been evident recently with the arrival of the vernal (spring) equinox, the clocks ‘springing back’ at the weekend and the beautiful spring sunshine. The garden does indeed have a youthful, dewy glow and the wonderful spring floral displays are bursting out of every corner.
Spring Floral Displays
Forsythia is one of the vibrant floral displays that you will see everywhere with its mass of yellow flowers in early spring. I have a single specimen that I grow as a free-standing shrub, but it is equally effective as a spectacular flowering hedge. Not only is it hardy and easy to grow, but this spring stunner is tolerant of a wide range of soils and will grow in full sun or light shade. Simply prune immediately after flowering to keep your forsythia heathy and within the bounds of your flowerbed. Avoid pruning later in the year as you will reduce the following spring’s flowers.
Weigela is another wonderful spring flowering shrub which will give you a fabulous floral display from late spring to early summer. A popular source of food for bees, weigelas are another hardy shrub which will tolerate many soil types and sun or dappled shade, but if you have a variegated variety, remember it will need sufficient light to develop leaf colour. The trumpet-like flowers can be white, pink, red and purple but there are also yellow varieties - remove spent flowers to encourage a longer flowering period. Lightly prune to keep in shape when the shrub has finished flowering to ensure you don’t chop off next seasons flowers!
Do you think about fruit berries when you hear the word ‘currant’ – well you could be missing out on the fabulous ‘flowering currant’ or Ribes. This reliable, early flowering shrub is a great source of food for foraging bees early in the year and produces gorgeous clusters of bell-like flowers in pink, red, white or yellow. Combine these hardy shrubs with spring bulbs and perennials for a fantastic spring display and prune immediately after flowering.
Magnolias are synonymous with spring floral displays as they produce flowers when they have few leaves so the beauty of the flowers is magnified in the spring sunshine. These eye-catching trees are a prominent feature in most parkland and gardens with some amazing specimens in bloom in Windsor Great Park and Savill Garden now. Some of these dazzling displays can reach enormous proportions, so for a smaller garden try a Magnolia stellata, with its delicate star-shaped flowers – this little beauty can even be grown in a container. All magnolias like a warm, sheltered spot with moist soil and plenty of sun and are fully hardy, but beware late spring frosts, as flower buds may be frosted and discolour.
Rhododendrons are a staple of any spring floral display, and it could be said, that these hardy evergreens are one of the most spectacular early spring flowering shrubs. They fill any garden with a cacophony of colour and azaleas are sometimes wonderfully fragrant. Shade loving woodland shrubs like rhododendrons and azaleas (their smaller, deciduous cousins) need and acidic soil to thrive, so check your soil PH and dig in lots of ericaceous compost to give them a boost. While rhododendrons don’t generally require much pruning, make sure you remove any dead wood to keep them healthy. Many rhododendrons can cope well with hard pruning if you find yours are taking over the garden – just make sure you mulch and water well to encourage new growth.
Another evergreen shrub which flowers in late winter/early spring is a Camellia. If you are planting a new specimen, make sure you give it some extra TLC in the first couple of years while it becomes established in your garden – particularly when it comes to making sure it is well watered. As well as the beautiful floral display of white, pink and red flowers, camellias are great for screening areas of your garden as the glossy, evergreen leaves create a good backdrop for other plants. Like rhododendrons, camellias must have acid soil to thrive and will not be happy in chalk or anywhere in the garden that is too shaded. The good news is they are hardy and happy to be pruned once flowering is over so you can easily keep your gorgeous camellia in shape.
Finally, one of my favourites – the Ceanothus or ‘bee tree’ as my husband calls it as ours seems to attract a huge number of insects and literally hums when the flowers are out. These stunning shrubs are usually deep blue/purple, but white and pink flowering varieties are available, and they flower prolifically between late spring and early May. Choose from a free-standing variety or one that can be trained up a wall or trellis, and plant in a sheltered sunny spot for maximum floral fabulousness.
So, there you have it – my pick of shrubs for a stunning spring floral display. But remember, spring weather can be a fickle, so don’t plant anything that is not hardy for at least another month!
"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
If you would like further advice or information about what plants to purchase for your garden in Spring, then please get in touch.
