Nothing is as uplifting as a flowering garden in the spring.
Gazing upon the colors that Mother Nature unveils can be so satisfying.
Enjoying these gifts when the renewal of spring is upon us lends buoyancy to our days.
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Dust off yourgardening toolsand map out your garden.
This list of spring-blooming flowers will have you positioned for a riot of color this season.
Garden Verbena
you might find agarden verbenafor almost any sunny spot in the garden.
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Their long bloom season lasts from spring until fall.
Most varieties thrive in heat and tolerate drought.
Pentas
From spring to fall, pentas flowers like crazy,bringing butterflies and hummingbirdsinto your garden.
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The scarlet or pink flowers with pink centers are irresistible to them.
Chartreuse- or black-leaved sweet potatoes are perfect partners.
They can be grown as a perennial in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 10 and 11 and an annual elsewhere.
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Plant them in full sun and deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms.
The hybrids prefer well-draining, rich, slightly acidic soil (Texas bluebonnets require alkaline soil).
Lupines are short-lived in areas with hot and humid summers.
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Blooms vary in color from creamy white to dark pink and purple with spotted throats.
When possible, plant foxgloves in protected areas next to walls or fences and away from windy locations.
Foxglove is toxic, so keep it away from children and pets.
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Pansies
All pansies are violas but not all violas are pansies.
Violas, also known as Johnny-jump-ups, are a compact version of pansies.
Pansies aregreat for containersand will grow in standard potting soil.
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They like full or partial sun, but need cooler temperatures to thrive.
Many gardeners grow them as annuals, replacing them with heat-tolerant flowers in the summer.
Medium and tall snapdragons work well in the middle or back of a border underplanted with pansies.
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Snapdragons come in many colors including white, pink, red, yellow, and orange.
Each spring, dense clusters of fragrant white, pink, rose, purple, or bicolored flowers appear.
The blooms look like small clouds on top of tall stems.
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The flowers bloom in gorgeous shades fromfire-engine redto pink, pale lavender, and blue.
The leaves often have a medicinal scent.
These tough plants can withstand even the hottest summer days and will continue blooming until frost.
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Salvias are ideal for a coastal garden and are often a key plant in a dry garden.
The best part of planting these hardy perennials is they require minimal maintenance.
These arching shrubs sometimes have thorns and can serve as a barrier at the edge of a property.
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If you have male and female plants, flowering quince will produce fruit that can be used in preserves.
Sturdy and vibrant Gerbera daisies are familiar flowers that bring a smile to everyone they encounter.
Plant them in rich, well-draining soil, making certain the crown is above ground level.
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In hotter climates, give them shade in the mid-to-late afternoon.
Cranesbill
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Cranesbill geraniums get the name from the beak-like shape of their seeds.
Both will do well when planted in partial sun in well-drained, organically rich soil.
Creeping Phlox.Credit:MaYcaL/Getty Images
And both are hardy perennials that can hold their own in occasionally dry soil in the summer heat.
Also known as moss phlox, it prefers moist but well-drained, organically rich soil and lots of sunlight.
It can take some dappled shade in the afternoon in hot climates.
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Plant creeping phlox in rock gardens, along walls, and around garden edges.
Columbine
Columbine is a family of mostly woodland wildflowers that are perennial in Zones 3-8.
Many hybrids exist today in a wide range of showy colors.
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Deadhead columbine to prolong its bloom, which can last into summer for some varieties.
Bleeding heart can perennialize in Zones 3-8, often disappearing to go dormant in the summer heat.
All impatiens prefer well-drained, moist, organically rich soil, which makes them ideal for growing in containers.
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Impatiens is perennial in Zone 10 and warmer climates.
Most common garden varieties bloom in March or April, though the Encore series blooms again in fall.
Catmint
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Any sunny garden in Zones 5-9 can benefit fromvigorous and hardy catmint.
Spring azaleas.Credit: landbysea/Getty Images
This aromatic perennial will tolerate most soilsas long as it is well-drainedand won’t succumb to deer or drought.
Shear the plants after a late-spring flowering to encourage another bloom in summer.
Later, the fruits dry into interesting black pods.
Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’ is a popular catmint.Credit:Neil Holmes/Oxford Scientific/Getty Images
you might find a number of colors and cultivars through specialty nurseries and online catalogs.
The name comes from the plants' ability to grow out of cracks in walls.
Wallflower shines best when planted in well-drained, average or sandy soil in full sun.
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It doesn’t like heat and is usually treated as a spring-time annual in the South.
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