Having endured many different regional winters, from New England’s gloomy, gray, and constantly bitter bone chill, to the high altitude of extreme temperature changes in the Rockies, one thing I can always count on, is that I love the idea of spring. With so many people suffering from the winter blues, it is no wonder why spring comes as a wonderful reprieve from a long and hard winter. So what better way to celebrate the warmer temperature, budding trees and promising spring flowers than to spice up your outdoor living spaces? I spent quite some time trying to figure out how to update my outdoor space, and in doing so I came across some beautiful ideas to compliment the spring bug. Here are a few of those great ideas that I hope you can appreciate, and possible adapt to enjoy another great spring!
The Basics of Planting
Like most people, I love the idea of robust plants, fragrant flowers and beautiful budding trees, but knowing which plants are best for your area is key to enjoying a vibrant blooming spring versus a short lived month of color. With so many topics to cover, I can’t do justice to all categories, so I thought we would cover the plant spectrum in this category, since they are often times the biggest risk and failure of outdoor planting.
- Cold Regions – When I think of cold regions, the upper Midwest and New England come to mind. While this may not be a full list, it does cover a pretty big footprint, so here are the best-known plants to harbor for springtime in your area.
Blue early spring forest flowers Anemone hepatica
- Bleeding Heart – otherwise known as Lamprocapnos spectabilis is a plant that originated in Siberia, Northern China and Japan, making this hearty heart shaped beauty perfect for colder spring weather.
- Canada Mayflower – or the Maianthemum canadense, this plant is native to Canada as the name implies, giving it a robust and healthy survivability rate in colder regions.
- Hepatica – one of the very first flowers to show its color after the first thaw in northern states, this native plant offers beautiful blues to help decorate your outdoor spaces and add a little splash of color.
- Mild Regions – If you are lucky enough to live in a milder region of the continent, then your variety of flowers are a bit more abundant. While every region has their own native naturals, the mild regions boast a great selection of springtime color.
Blooming Hydrangea
- Fuchsias – These beauties are normally found in South America and Mid North America making them perfect for regions such as Virginia, South Carolina, and Kentucky.
- Hydrangeas – Another great mild weather choice, these hearty and colorful plants offer a wide range of coverage with their cluster blooms and wide leaves, making this a perfect choice for a larger area of outdoor spaces.
- Bleeding Heart – This unique and perfectly heart shaped flower is bound to turn heads in your garden or outdoor patio while offering fairly sustainable livelihood in mild to moderate temperature regions.
- Warm Regions – Finally the warmer states of the spring time anticipation, such as Texas, Louisiana, Southern California and Florida. While those of us lucky enough to live in warmer regions, we are still just as excited to welcome springtime as our northern relatives and the following warm region plants are bound to bring a smile to your outdoor living space.
Spring garden with an array of tulips
- Spanish Bluebells – These bright blue wonders are great for warmer regions and can compliment your patio space with a nice balance of green stalks, and long vertical blue blooms adding color and variety to your texture and design.
- Tulips – With an abundance of colors, tulips add the perfect pop of color to any spring garden or planter.
- Daffodil – Another surprise for warmer climates, these native Mediterranean flowers are well known to thrive and provide a well-covered and colorful array of variety to your spring garden.
- Summer Snowflakes – A perfect end to your winter blues is taking that winter element and making a beautiful flower out of it. These elegant flowers offer a white bulbs that hang oh so slightly while adding green bursts of accent throughout the garden bed.
So, whether your looking to brighten up a smaller patio with some potted plants, or attempt a complete overhaul of a larger space around your home, adding color and fragrance will definitely liven up even the dreariest outdoor decor. Also, I always recommend talking to a nursery professional regarding shade, soil, water quantities, and the basic maintenance for your blooms.
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