You don’t have to wait until May for April showers to bring beautiful flowers to your garden.
For most Southern gardeners, April brings a floral showcase ofbulbs, perennials, shrubs, and trees.
sericea) offer outstanding color in a winter garden in addition to their springtime blooms.
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This perennial sends up spikes of blue or lavender flowers in a spreading form.
Foxglove
Common foxglove’s tall, bold blooms appear in many colors in April.
A biennial, you’ll have to wait until the second year after planting to get the showy flowers.
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Fortunately, you’ll get plenty of seedlings so you’re able to grow it as a perennial.
Don’t worry about other flowers hiding it, foxglove holds its own when planted in mass.
For a better-behaved and still lovely shrub, choose the cultivar ‘Mary Milton’.
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Azaleas
Ralph Anderson
Azaleas are an iconicSouthern shrub.
April is the peak bloom time in every public and private Southern garden.
Since they love wet feet, these plants can grow in low landscape spots that never drain well.
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The rose grows rapidly with long, sweeping branches.
There’s no pruning required unless you want to reduce the size.
You’ll be happy to note that there are no thorns!
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Oakleaf Hydrangea
Oakleafhydrangeasare a “twofer” shrub.
You get both showy white pyramidal clusters of blooms and striking foliage.
Growing 90 to 120 feet tall, it is filled with tulip-shaped blooms in April.
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The 2.5-inch flowers have yellow-green petals and an orange center.
A stately tree suitable for large spaces, many smaller cultivars are perfect for suburban residential lots.
I have a fine growing over an arbor that my sons built for me one Mother’s Day.
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Credit: Ralph Lee Anderson
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