Bulb

Celebrate the end of cold weather with winter aconite, one of the first blooming plants you’ll see in your yard before spring actually arrives. It sometimes appears so early (before crocus!) that the buttercup-like flowers burst up and out of the snow. This plant catches the eye in beds and borders, along pathways, and when mixed with crocus and other ephemerals in the lawn.

Squill

Squill announces a new garden season with bursts of dark green grasslike foliage. The leaves seem to emerge overnight in early spring. The tufts of foliage are quickly followed by arching flower stalks that support one to three nodding blue or white flowers. These tiny blossoms decorate the garden for two to three weeks and, when planted in large masses, they can be enjoyed from a distance. A welcome early-season nectar source for bees and insects, squill—also called Siberian squill—attracts winged visitors with its sweet fragrance.

Spanish Bluebell

With strappy leaves and clusters of elegant lavender-blue flowers, Spanish bluebell blossoms dangle from spikes, adding a casual look to garden beds or borders. These pendant-style bells flourish under trees or shrubs or in shady borders, where early spring color is at a premium. Spanish bluebells have a loose, informal growth habit and more delicate appearance than their cousins, the hybrid hyacinths. Plant them in any well-drained soil and watch them take off. Spanish bluebells tolerate shade, flourishing under trees or shrubs or in shady plantings alongside other spring-blooming bulbs. When they’re happy, these cheerful little bulbs can self-seed abundantly, forming large colonies in just a few years. They make delightful companions for early-blooming perennials and shrubs such as hellebore and azalea.

Daffodil, split-cup hybrids

Split-cup daffodils are so named because varieties in this division have a central cup that's cut -- usually for more than half its length. They are sometimes called butterfly daffodils because the split sections of the cup fold back against the petals, resembling spread butterfly wings. In other respects, split-cup daffodils resemble standard trumpet or large-cup daffodils. They bear one flower per stem and come in the full range of daffodil colors: white, yellow, pink, orange, and bicolor. Some varieties are fragrant, and all are resistant to deer and rabbit damage.

Spider Lily

As the name implies, the spider lily has spiderlike blossoms from midsummer to fall. This hardy bulb has a curious habit of blooming on naked stems with no foliage present, which has earned it the common names ‘naked lady’ and ‘surprise lily.’ It is also dubbed the hurricane lily, as it tends to bloom during hurricane season in the U.S. The flower is a close relative to the amaryllis and much like its kin, has a striking flower. This hardy plant generally puts out its foliage in spring after the harsh winter weather has passed.

Society Garlic

A native perennial to the grasslands of South Africa, society garlic has delicate, fragrant blossoms. This plant does well in rock gardens, sunny borders, herb gardens, and containers. Society garlic blooms in the summer and can last through the fall. This low maintenance, heat- and drought-tolerant plant makes a great complement to any garden.

Agapanthus

These wonderful flowers are blooming machines and essentially the tropical equivalent of the daylily. A landscape staple in warm-winter regions, agapanthus is a low-maintenance perennial that produces colorful globes of blue or white trumpet-shape flowers in summer and fall. Agapanthus' evergreen strappy leaves add texture to beds, borders, and containers, too. With that combination of attributes, what more can you ask for?

Caladium

Caladiums combine colorful arrowhead-shape leaves with easy growth requirements to star in containers and shade gardens from June through fall. Plant them in part shade or where they will receive filtered sun; bright sun can scorch their leaves. Those large leaves can also be damaged by strong winds, so site accordingly. Pair caladiums with ferns, hostas…;, and other shade perennials in the landscape. They thrive in containers and are especially striking when planted alongside begonia…;, fuchsia…;, and impat…;

Oxalis

Grape Hyacinth

Allium

Dahlia

Daffodil, Small-Cup Hybrids

Small-cup daffodils possess all the same qualities as large-cup and trumpet daffodils with the difference being the size of their cups. To be classified as a small-cup daffodil, the cup (aka corona) must be less than one-third the length of the petals. Most small-cup daffodils bear only one flower per stem. Ranging from miniature daffodils standing 6 inches tall to those that tower 24 inches or more in the spring garden, these pretty plants look at home throughout the landscape. Small-cup daffodils often emit a lovely fragrance.