The common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, sports dainty white bell-shaped flowers on six-inch stalks. They bloom as early as January and naturalize easily in an undisturbed spot. If white flowers are lost in your snowy garden, consider the winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis, which produce bright yellow flowers atop a ruffled collar of green foliage. Finally, glory-of-the-snow, Chionodoxa luciliae, produces masses of blue, pink, or white star-shaped flowers to satisfy your pastel flower cravings.
Careful digging allows you to plant a nursery six-pack of hardy annual transplants without disturbing the bulbs. Plant the annuals as soon as they are offered in your nursery when you should already see green foliage tips emerging from the bulbs. Try these four planting partners this spring:
Tulips and primroses Hyacinths and pansies Daffodils and scented stock Dutch iris and sweet alyssum
If the thought of a plain green shrub amidst your flowers doesn’t thrill you, choose a shrub that displays bright berries after its flowers fade, like viburnum. You can also look for newer cultivars of old favorites that have variegated foliage, like daphne ‘Marginata’ in warm climates or elderberry ‘Madonna’ in cold climates. Some of the most beloved container plants—snapdragons, petunias, and annual lobelia—thrive in cool spring temperatures. These cool-season annuals are at their flowering peak when daytime temperatures are in the 70s. Other container flowers, like viola and nasturtium, can tolerate early spring frosts. Crocus bulbs are the most commonly grown flowers in a lawn, but you can also try snowdrops or iris reticulata. Slice the sod with a sharp spade and plant groups of bulbs at least three inches below the soil surface. Imagine digging up your favorite day lily on March first. What would it look like? It would look like one of the root balls sold in plastic bags with a tentative stem beginning to emerge. In this semi-dormant form, plants are less likely to incur damage from late spring frosts than plants with fully developed foliage. In fact, by the middle of summer, bare root perennials may be indistinguishable from potted plants. As a bonus, bare root perennials are much cheaper than potted plants.
