Early Risers

Fill your garden with the very first flowers that bloom in the spring.

ZONES 3 TO 8

Always a welcome sign that warmer weather is on the way, these large, short-lasting, white flowers have yellow centers. The flowers grow from a rhizome. Single stems with one leaf and flower emerge from the structure, slowly growing into a larger clump.

Bloodroot craves spring sun and summer shade, so it’s a perfect pick for a woodland garden under deciduous trees.

FORSYTHIA

Cheery yellow flowers along graceful bending branches

are a welcome match for spring sunshine. Bees and butterflies zero in on this early nectar source, which blooms best in full sun but can tolerate some shade.

Ranging from 2-foot dwarf varieties to those reaching 10 feet high and wide, forsythia shrubs fit in any garden space.

Though some early spring blooms fade quickly, they offer

ZONES 5 TO 8

American witch hazel

(H. virginiana) is one of the few plants that

blooms in the fall, but the related Japanese witch

hazel (H. japonica) takes over in late winter and

early spring.

Witch hazel shrubs show off when other plants are sleeping. Try a combination of the

American and Japanese varieties for a brilliant golden display from fall to spring.

ZONES 3 TO 7

This beautiful but short-lasting woodland wildflower is gone by summer, along with its foliage. For a few weeks in spring, though, the delicate flowers hanging off their arching stems are a pure delight.

This relative of bleeding

heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) is a classic that’s ready to make

a comeback in moist, well-draining gardens.