Spring Flowers in the Garden: Where and How to Plant Them

This article was prepared with the support of UFL flower delivery. As soon as the snow melts, the ground fills with the first flowers: crocuses, squills, lungwort, hellebores and marsh marigolds bloom long before tulips and irises. Placed well, early spring flowers become the jewel of a garden, and many of them spread by themselves over time.

Fresh flowers for your home or as a gift: potted plants and flower baskets.

View full-size photo

Natural gardens and naturalising

Natural gardens that look like a woodland edge or a flowering meadow are increasingly popular. That's what naturalising is for: plants are set out so they spread as they would in the wild — bulbs multiply, seeds scatter, and in 3–5 years a few clumps become a carpet of flowers.

Early spring flowers are perfect for naturalising: they bloom from late February to May, when trees are still bare and there is plenty of light beneath them, and by summer they go dormant and don't compete with other plants. Buy them from garden centres: never dig flowers up in the woods — snowdrops, squills, pasque flowers and many other species are protected and listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, and wild-dug plants often fail anyway.

View full-size photo

Where to plant

• Among trees and shrubs. Almost all early bloomers thrive under deciduous trees, where it's light in spring and the soil is rich in leaf mould. Snowdrops, squills, anemones, winter aconite and hellebores get moisture exactly when they're growing.
• In lawns and meadow areas. Crocuses, dwarf daffodils, glory-of-the-snow and grape hyacinths can be planted in drifts straight into the grass. Start mowing once the bulb foliage has yellowed.
• By a pond or stream. Marsh marigold, spring snowflake and skunk cabbage (Lysichiton) love moist soil.
• In dry spots. Hyacinths and species tulips dislike wet summers — otherwise the bulbs must be lifted.
• In borders. Mix early flowers with summer perennials: one group blooms in spring, then the growing foliage of the other hides the fading leaves. Primroses and lungwort, both shade lovers, work well this way.
• In a rock garden. Miniature crocuses, snowdrops, reticulata irises, pasque flowers, primroses and glory-of-the-snow look great among stones, heather and heaths.

Plant hellebores with their large flowers and leathery leaves somewhere prominent: they look good almost all year and make a backdrop for summer colour.

View full-size photo

View full-size photo

How and when to plant

1. Timing. Small bulbs (crocuses, snowdrops, squills, glory-of-the-snow, muscari) in September to early October; daffodils in late August to September; hyacinths in late September to October. Divide and plant perennials such as hellebores, primroses and lungwort in late summer or early spring.
2. Depth. The rule is simple: plant 2–3 times as deep as the bulb is tall. Crocuses 5–8 cm, daffodils 15–20 cm.
3. Natural drifts. For a natural look, toss a handful of bulbs and plant them where they land rather than in rows.
4. Soil. Loose and free-draining. Add leaf mould under trees and sand to heavy clay.
5. After flowering. Don't cut the leaves until they turn yellow: this is when the bulb builds up strength for next year.

View full-size photo

Early spring flowers for the garden

View full-size photo

To learn how to recognise spring flowers in the wild, read our articles on the first spring flowers and early spring bloomers.

FAQ

Can I move spring flowers from the woods to my garden?

No. Many are protected by law, and dug-up plants rarely survive. Buy stock from garden centres.

Can I plant crocuses in spring?

Not dry bulbs — they won't have time to root. In spring you can plant out potted crocuses already in flower.

When can I mow a lawn with bulbs in it?

Not until the bulb foliage has turned yellow, usually in late May or June.

View full-size photo

While your garden is just waking up, bring spring to someone you love — order a bouquet with delivery from UFL.

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.

About the author →