I recently wrote an article about flowers to plant that bloom early in spring, but some of those were annuals… And you know what that means? You need to plant them EVERY year!
Today, I’m going to share my favorite early blooming perennials. You only need to plant these once and they’ll come back every year. Isn’t that amazing?!
I still remember being a little kid, thinking that once the flowers in my mom’s garden dried up, we’d have to plant them all again next year! My mind was blown when she explained how perennials work.
Let’s not waste any more time because I’m really excited to share these with you!
Early Blooming Perennials To Brighten Your Garden
1: Hellebores (Lenten Rose)
Hellebores are one of the first perennials to bloom even in late winter. They’re hardy and produce flowers that sort of resemble darker, more edgy roses from an angle. If you’re looking to add some stark contrast to your bright, light-colored garden, hellebores are a solid option.
2: Creeping Phlox
Creeping phlox grow close to the ground and create this dense carpet of colorful blooms that’s just mesmerizing to witness. Many gardeners prefer planting these because they bloom early and work incredibly well as ground cover to add some visual depth to the lower extremities of the garden.
3: Pasque Flower
Until pasque flower blooms fully open, they somewhat resemble bright-colored tulips. They’re cold-hardy perennials that offer beauty and color in the garden, blooming in elegant shades of purple and white in most cases.
4: Bleeding Heart
As the name already suggests, bleeding heart blooms have a heart-like shape to them, often with a drop like petal dangling down at the bottom. These flowers are extremely delicate and can be found thriving around early spring in colors like crimson, baby pink, and white.
5: Snowdrops
Snowdrops, like bleeding hearts, are exactly what the name suggests they are. They’re crisp white and can often be found blooming through the snow, which is what makes them very special.
If you believe your garden to be a tad bit too flamboyant and would like to add a touch of sophistication and elegance to it, snowdrops can be a fantastic choice for you.
6: Primroses
Whenever I mention primroses in my articles, I always try to warn people about the fact that they’re nothing like roses. Are they better? For me, yes! For others? Probably not?
These flowers bloom pretty early in the season and do well in cool weather. What I love about primroses is their incredibly diverse color palette. Most of them have multi-colored petals in combination colors like blue and yellow, white and purple, red and yellow, etc.
7: Virginia Bluebells
Virginia bluebells offer striking, bright blue flowers often with contrasting dark foliage. This perennial blooms best in spring and is a common choice for gardeners that want to attract pollinators to the garden.
8: Siberian Iris
Siberian irises are super low-maintenance and can be found blooming in bright purple and blue quite early in the season. They’re also very hardy and can withstand difficult temperature conditions without giving growers a hard time.
9: Dutch Crocus
Although the Dutch crocus is technically a bulb, it acts like a perennial by returning each spring. You’ll find Dutch crocuses blooming in yellow, purple, light blue, and often a pearly white color.
10: Brunnera (Siberian Bugloss)
If you’ve ever seen forget-me-nots, you’ll find brunneras to be quite similar looking. What I truly love about brunneras is not their blooms, but rather the mesmerizing foliage that accompanies them. Trust me, those leaves are perfect for adding some visual interest and dark, edgy depth to the garden.
Conclusion
If early blooming perennials are your thing, you should definitely give some from the list above a shot in your garden. Not only will they add great depth and color to the landscape, but also give the space a much needed personal touch.
No two gardens are the same, and that’s what I love about gardening. You can experiment with the perennials you like and arrange them in your garden however you want. My job is to just provide you with options.
