It’s the first week of March and with that amazing burst of warmer weather we enjoyed recently, we’re all looking for colour in our gardens.
Folks who planted snowdrops, yellow winter aconites and crocus last fall have been rewarded with early splashes of bright colour that really lift our spirits.
We also know they’ll be back year after year with an even more spectacular show. If you missed out, make a note on your phone or calendar to pick up some of these early bulbs this coming September.
Early-blooming perennials are the true workhorses of spring colour, and they can be planted now for many years of reliable and ever-improving displays.
White is one of the best early displays of colour and is an excellent accent for showcasing early bulbs. Traditionally, the earliest colour bursts come from the arabis and aubretia families. Hardy to zone 3, white arabis is not only the first to bloom, but it also has a low, spreading habit. Arabis remains evergreen throughout the year, acting as an attractive groundcover.
Commonly called rock cress, aubretia is a nice spillover plant on walls, and, of course, it beautifully accents rocks in the garden. Both plants come in shades of pink and purple, but it is the aubretia family that really pops the purples.
Hardy to zone 3, the aubretia family is ever expanding to include new shocking shades of purples, reds and hot pinks. Planted along with white arabis, they create a low-growing, evergreen carpet of vibrant colours that garners immediate attention.
Although they start blooming a little bit later, perennial golden alyssum adds that third layer of early colour.
Traditional seedling varieties are brilliant, but Darwin Plants in the Netherlands have introduced a vegetative variety which blossoms just a little bit later but extends that vibrant yellow well into May. Hardy to zone 4, alyssum Golden Spring has the largest flowers of any perennial yellow alyssum and is very tolerant of heat, which we can often get in May. It is also evergreen, creating an attractive, low, year-round groundcover.
For those shady spots in our gardens, old-fashioned pulmonarias are already providing early colour. Now available in shades of blues, pinks and soft reds with contrasting speckled foliage, they help create a spark of colour in those shady spots that could use a boost at this time of the year.
Perhaps the most exciting addition to March colour is the new series of armeria from Darwin Plants called Dreamaria. Their huge, round, white, pink and purple flowerheads are very unique, and, once established, they will bloom from March to October. They are even being used as showpieces in containers. Try a few in your garden — you will be amazed.
Candytuft (iberis) is another oldie but goldie. Hardy to zone 4, there are many new varieties; most are beginning to bloom now for a spectacular show well into late April. Much like white arabis, their pure white or pink blooms punch out the colour in vibrant mats that provide a wonderful accent for everything around them. They, too, make attractive, year-round, evergreen groundcovers.
If your garden or containers need a little lift right about now, all these plants will provide some spectacular, instant colour that you will continue to enjoy for years to come.
