Get Ready for Spring with these Early Bloomers

Blooms of  Magnolia, Forsythia and Viburnum are Sure Signs that Winter is Over!

Nothing says spring like the first leaves of a crocus poking up through the earth. It’s a heartening sign that the short, cold days are coming to an end, and an warm weather is just around the corner.

At Connecticut Green, we’re more partial to flowering shrubs and trees than your traditional spring flowers. These are some of our favorite harbingers of spring:

• Forsythia – It’s an obvious choice, but nothing says spring like the bright yellow blooms of forsythia. These easy-to-grow shrubs make quite a show in April, and they make a great hedgerow even after their blooming season. Fast-growing as they are, forsythias do require pruning, but it’s worth noting that they’re quite insect- and disease-resistant.

• Magnolia – The romantic magnolia is a springtime favorite, with its extravagant flowers and sweet fragrance. Often associated with southern plantations and Grateful Dead songs, deciduous varieties of the magnolia tree do grow well in New England. Dwarf varieties make it appropriate for almost any garden with our acid soil, and while generally hardy, they do need to be protected from scale and fungus.A few interesting facts about magnolia trees:

  They are the earliest-known flowering tree variety. Magnolias also represent the oldest trees grown on the White House lawn, planted between 1829 and 1837 by Andrew Jackson in his wife’s memory.

• Viburnum – versatile viburnum is a garden favorite. It’s easy to grow and comes in so many varieties, it can work almost anywhere. Viburnums as ornamental shrubs work well in any situation, from borders to pots!  With arrow-shaped leaves,and flowers ranging from creamy white to deep pink, viburnum is a stunner – and the scent those flowers producing can be stunning as well. (The white “Carlcephalum” variety has a beautiful fragrance.) In the fall, these lovely shrubs bear small, brightly-colored fruit, so they bring beauty to the garden from early spring straight through the fall.These are some of our favorite early bloomers, but we know there are many others to choose from. Azaleas, cherry trees, mountain laurel – they’re all beautiful, and thankfully, not too far from their blooming season now! Which is your favorite? Post to our Facebook page and let us know.

**IMAGE CREDITS:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Forsythia#/media/File:Forsythia_close-up.jpg
• https://www.pexels.com/photo/purple-bloom-blossom-violet-56858/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum#/media/File:Viburnum_grandiflorum_I_IMG_7005.jpg