Five Most Notable Springtime Flowers and Shrubs
March 10, 2017 2017-03-10 19:33Five Most Notable Springtime Flowers and Shrubs

Five Most Notable Springtime Flowers and Shrubs
Azalea – Rhododendron Ericaceae (Zones 2-9)
- A favorite Spring shrub in southern gardens
- Apply fertilizer and mulch in Spring after blooms fade
- Dwarf plants can be 3 ft or less…Asian varieties can grow up to 40 ft
- Hybrids are available in cold and heat-tolerant varieties
- Evergreen and deciduous shrubs
- Thrive in part sun/part shade
- Need acidic, well drained loamy soil and moderate water
- Have shallow roots – both the soil and leaves must be watered in the morning
Camellia – (Camellia Theaceae) (Zones 6B-9B)
- A second favorite Spring shrub in Southern gardens
- Hybrids are available in cold and heat-tolerant varieties
- Apply fertilizer and mulch in Spring after blooms fade
- Evergreen
- Thrives in part shade
- Need acidic, well drained loamy soil and moderate water
- Have shallow roots – both the soil and leaves must be watered in the morning
- Prone to pest problems such as tea scales and fungal problems: Camellia petal blight and Camellia leaf gall. Bud drop is also common.
Forsythia – Forsythia x intermedia (Zones 5-8)
- One of the earliest Spring blooming shrubs
- A fast-growing shrub; can be grown as a bush or hedgerow
- Flowers best in full sun
- Grow in well-drained, organically rich soil
- Water moderately as needed; mulching is recommended
- Feed in early Spring with high phosphorous fertilizer
- Prune vigorously immediately after the blooms are gone.
Lilac – Syringa (Zones 3-7)
- A favorite Spring blooming shrub for Northern gardeners
- Heat tolerant hybrid varieties are available
- Prefers full sun
- Thrives in well drained, loamy, slightly acid to alkaline soil
- Prune vigorously immediately after the blooms are gone
- Apply fertilizer and mulch in Spring
- Depending on the growing area, they can suffer from pest problems such as lilac borer and scales and fungal disease such as powdery mildew
Weigela – Weigela (Zones 4-8)
- Prefers moist, well-draining soil
- Thrives in full sun
- A fast growing, deciduous shrub
- Prune and fertilize in later winter.
- Apply mulch in Spring
- Prefers moderate watering; drip irrigation recommended
Geranium – Pelargonium (Zones 10-11)
- Perfect for indoor hanging baskets and outdoor garden borders
- In colder regions, can be dug up and brought indoors or grown as annuals
- Water moderately and deeply as needed; avoid getting the leaves wet
- Prefers moist, well-draining soil
- Thrives in full sun
- Fertilize lightly every 4-6 weeks
- Deadhead spent blooms to promote continual flowering
- Plant outdoors when threat of frost has passed (indoor plants should be in temps of 65-70 during the day and 55 at night)
Impatiens – Impatiens Zones 10-11)
- Perfect as border, bedding and container plants
- Prefer moist, well draining soil
- Not frost tolerant
- Can suffer from various pest problems such as spider mites, caterpillars, aphids, root-knot nematodes and whiteflies
- Common fungal problems are fungal leaf spot, gray mold and downy mildew
- Thrives in part – full shade
- Plant outdoors after threat of frost has passed
- Use a slow release fertilizer in Spring and again in Summer
Pansy – Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Zones 2-11)
- Prefers partial or full sun
- Perfect as border, bedding and container plants
- Prefer moist, humus rich, well draining soil
- Water moderately; do not let soil dry out
- Fertilize lightly as needed
- Deadhead spent blooms to promote continual flowering
Petunias – Petunias (zones 6-10)
- Perfect as border, bedding and container plants
- Annual; not frost tolerant
- Thrives in average, well draining soil
- Prefers full sun
- Use a slow release fertilizer during planting
- Tolerates moderate watering
Snapdragon – Antirrhinum (Zones 7-10)
- Prefers full sun
- Grown as annual in colder regions, but is a perennial
- Thrives in well drained , organically rich soil
- Taller varieties may need staking
- Top stem clipping is needed to encourage uniform growth and continual flowering at planting
- When planting, keep soil most for the first three weeks then taper of watering as needed; water from the bottom
- Deadheading is needed and mulching
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
March 11, 2017 at 1:37 pmMy friends’ yard had an azalea here t 5,000 feet on Ecuador’s equator. It never burst into that classic full bloom, but it had blooms all year long.
It’s nice seeing all of these old friends!
The Editors of Garden Variety
March 22, 2017 at 11:38 amThey truly are a joy to see.
walkercynthia
March 13, 2017 at 9:09 amAnd my mom’s mom had impatiens and geraniums. Thank you for bringing such lovely memories to the forefront this morning 😊
The Editors of Garden Variety
March 22, 2017 at 11:39 amYou are welcome!
Garden Outdoors
April 4, 2017 at 10:54 amwow, this is great…love to see that pics
The Editors of Garden Variety
April 11, 2017 at 7:04 pmThank you