After a long winter I love to bring color back into my home as soon as possible. The houseplants have done their duty and brightened the gray days as best they can but now we all want some color!
When planning your garden or rejuvenating it remember to plan for a variety of sizes, colors, sounds, shapes and textures to provide movement for the eye and a wide variety for bouquets and of course, to support pollinators.
Here are some early spring stars for bouquets that can be used to create the base or backbone of your floral arrangements:
Tulips
Trees and shrubs – use the branches and flowers: Magnolia, Lilacs, Viburnum, Quince, Andromeda, Forsythia, Fothergilla, Ninebarks ( Physocarpus), Serviceberry (Amelanchier), Spirea, Deutzia, Azalea and Rhododendrons, Redbuds, Mock Orange, Red or Yellow Twig Dogwoods, Corylopsis (Winterhazel), Crabapples, Cherry and Apricot trees.
Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Alexandrina’ saucer magnolia
Flowering Cherry
A Lilac allee’
Forsythia on the Hudson River at NYBG
Spring flowers that are ideal for arrangements: Peonies, Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Lilacs, Alliums, Muscari, Pasque Flowers, Frittilaria, Roses, and Ranunculus to name a few!
Muscari
Alliums
Daffodils as far as the eye can see!
Pasque flower
Here are my top picks for more spring flowering perennials and bulbs.
Hellebores, Siberian Iris, Primrose, Feverfew, Alliums, Wisteria, Amsonia, Baptisa, Bleeding Hearts, Lady’s Mantle, Epimedium, Roses, Hypericum, Solomon’s Seal, Hosta leaves and Lobelias
Bleeding Hearts – Dicentra spectabilis
Siberian Iris
Also, don’t forget veggies when making arrangements. Think about baby carrots, artichokes and curly kale and parsley.
I love to pair Siberian Iris, Nepeta, Sage, Allium Globemaster or Gladiator, Amsonia and Baptisa and I mix them with Daylilies, Heuchera and Grasses for all season bloom after the spring flush is done.
My spring garden
If you want to have flowers for cutting be sure to plant in large drifts not one here and one there. Planning for the next season now will yield you beautiful arrangements all year!
Are you interested in how I created my garden from scratch in just a few months? Here is a link to: Anatomy of a New Garden
[…] Siberian Iris Azalea Way @ NYBG Corylopsis Daffodils as far as the eye can see! Andromeda Muscari Bleeding Hearts – Dicentra spectabilis Flowering Cherry Julia Child (Floribunda Rose) […]