It's always exciting to see the first signs of spring. In Middle Tennessee, early spring-blooming plants are abundant. Below, we are sharing 10 of the earliest spring bloomers. Add one (or several) of these to enjoy in your garden in early spring.
Forsythia
Brilliant yellow blooms cover this graceful shrub, typically in early March.
There are several varieties of Forsythia which vary in size.
Plant in 6+ hours of sunlight for the best bloom.
Prune right after flowering, as Forsythia sets its new buds inside the stems long before it blooms again. If you prune in fall, you'll accidentally cut off the next spring's blooms.
Loropetalum
Loropetalum produces beautiful semi-evergreen foliage and gorgeous hot pink flowers in early spring.
Loropetalum enhances the garden's aesthetics by adding unique purple foliage to the garden.
Plant in an area that receives part to full sun and in an area that receives some protection from wind, such as against a fence or the house.
Carolina Jessamine
Also known as Winter Jasmine, Carolina Jessamine is a vine that produces a bounty of small yellow flowers in late winter to early spring.
This vine trellises beautifully on a fence, trellis, mailbox, or arbor. It needs to be planted in an area that receives 6+ hours of sunlight.
Prune after they've bloomed in spring. You can prune several times through spring and summer if needed. Stop pruning in late summer, well ahead of our first frosts.
Lenten Rose
Lenten Rose is a perennial that thrives in shadier spots in the garden.
This perennial is very resilience and blooms in colder temperatures, even snow. Depending on the variety, Lenten Roses begin to bloom in December and bloom through the end of April.
Plant Lenten Roses under shade trees, a woodland garden, or in an area that receives morning sun with strong afternoon shade.
These perennials are deer-resistant and have evergreen foliage.
Camellias
Camellias are a large, beautiful bloom in late winter to mid-spring.
Not all varieties are cold-hardy here in Middle Tennessee. We offer varieties that survive our winters, however, you need to follow a few steps to protect them in very cold weather.
Plant in a part sun to shade garden, in protected area from wind and weather, such as against a fence or on the north side of the house. In ice or snow, we recommend covering with a frost cloth to help protect the shrub. You'll want to add mulch each year at the base of Camellias.
Deciduous Magnolia
A beautiful small, deciduous tree that produces large purplish-pink blooms in early/mid-spring
Best grown in organically rich, slightly acidic, well-draining soil
Needs 6+ hours of sunlight to bloom best
Reaches 20-25' tall by 15-20' wide
Crocus bulbs
Crocus
One of the earliest heralds of spring, Crocus is a small bulb you plant in fall; it will bloom year after year. It often begins to bloom in February.
To plant Crocus, in the fall, pick a part-sun or sunny location. They look beautiful planted in a rock garden, near the mailbox, along a sidewalk, or under a deciduous tree. Use our bulb planting guide to see how deep to plant them and other fall bulbs.
These low-maintenance flowers come in many colors, including purple, white, yellow, blue, red, and pink.
Yoshino Cherry Tree
Completely covered in pale whitish pink blooms in early spring. This small tree is one of the earliest spring-blooming trees.
Yoshino Cherry trees need full sun locations to bloom best and should be placed somewhere where they can be a focal point in spring.
Its low canopy makes it ideal for under power lines, in smaller spaces, etc. It reaches approximately 25' tall by 25' wide.
Kwanzan Cherry Tree
The Kwanzan Cherry tree blooms slightly later than the Yoshino Cherry. Its blooms are spectacular; lovely double pink blooms that last for several weeks.
It has beautiful fall foliage and needs to be planted in full-sun locations with well-draining soil.
It grows to be 30' tall by 30' wide.
Flowering Quince
Flowering Quince is an early spring-blooming shrub that can reach 4-8' tall and wide, depending on the variety.
It needs to be planted in full sun to bloom best.
Flowering Quince looks wonderful in a mass planting or as a part of a garden screen.
This shrub should be pruned right after it has bloomed in spring.
Early spring blooms add joy to your garden! Consider incorporating some of these flowers into your landscape this spring. In addition to early spring blooms, adding plants that have interest and color at many different times of the year is a foundation to having a garden filled with interest and beauty. We have information on how to create 4-season gardens on our website that we'd love you to check out. Feel free to ask us questions on social media or at the garden center. We look forward to seeing you soon at the nursery.