All through the long winter months we eagerly await signs of spring, but the wait can seem much shorter when you are planning your beautiful spring containers. Not only can containers bring an early burst of spring to your deck, patio, or porch, but you can get creative and expressive with stunning flower choices for every container.
Why Plant Spring Containers?
Why plant spring containers when the natural growing season is right around the corner? Planting pots, barrels, and window boxes can extend the growing season and help you refresh your gardening skills before the rush of spring work. Containers are also less dependent on weather conditions and can easily be moved to warmer and sunnier spots even on chilly days. Spring containers can even be brought indoors to a porch, sunroom, or garage if a hard frost threatens, and your early spring gardening doesn’t need to be in danger. Containers are easy to care for and can brighten up any part of your yard or landscape before Mother Nature gets growing again. You can even use spring containers to experiment with new flowers and greenery before committing to adding it to your landscape.
Best Flowers for Your Spring Containers
With limited space in containers, you want to choose the very best spring flowers for brilliant color and thriving growth. Spring can be a temperamental season and may still have fluctuating temperatures and uneven moisture, so it is smart to choose flowers that can tolerate some light frost or even a small snowfall. The top flowers that can make a beautiful statement in spring containers include…
- Pansy – Along with their smaller cousins, violas, these classic spring flowers bring a burst of color to any container. Pansies are available in blue, purple, maroon, white, red, and yellow shades, and their delicate appearance evokes the hope and promise of the season.
- Daffodil – These beautiful spring bulbs are best planted in fall, or you can find blooming daffodils from the garden center. The bold yellow, white, and orange flowers are a cheerful spring accent, and daffodils are available in a range of sizes to suit any container.
- Stock – Stocks, or matthiolas, have a sweet scent perfect for spring, and these flowers are tolerant of cooler temperatures and light frosts, making them perfect for early spring containers. Choose from white, pink, purple, yellow, or orange varieties.
- Hyacinth – All types of hyacinths are spring favorites, and these bulbs come in different shades of pink, purple, blue, and white. Even the tiny “grape” varieties are ideal for spring containers, and all hyacinths can add fun textures to spring arrangements.
- Tulip – One of the most classic spring flowers, tulips come in a wide variety of colors and sizes, with different petal textures, like fringed, peony style, or parrot, for even more distinction. Choose variegated colors that standout or opt for classic colors in spring mixes.
- Primrose – Sweet and lovely, the primrose hints at summer but is cool tolerant and ideal for spring containers. These flowers come in a rainbow of hues, including blue, white, pink, yellow, and green, giving a wide range of colors to any container plan.
- Diascia – Ideal as a filler, Diascia, or “twinspur”, spreads rapidly to add lushness to larger containers. The bright green foliage is a fun spring color, and the blooms can be different shades of mauve, pink, coral, rose, and white, all accented with a bright yellow throat.
- Forget-Me-Not – The delicate, tiny blooms of forget-me-nots are a spring favorite, and their long blooming season means you can enjoy them even into early summer. These flowers come in different shades of blue and pink, perfect for spring arrangements.
- Dianthus – Also known as pinks, these flowers do indeed come in many pink shades, from deep jewel tones to cheery pastels and every hue in between. The dwarf species are popular for containers, and their frilly petals add texture to any arrangement.
- Calendula – A welcome addition to any spring container, this daisy-like flower, also called “pot marigold”, is frost tolerant and the colorful petals may be used for both medicinal and culinary purposed.
These are only a few flowers that are well suited to spring containers. Visit our garden center early in the season to find even more beautiful spring blooms to choose from.
Tips for Spring Containers
No matter what flowers you choose for spring containers, they need the best care to thrive through this often-temperamental season. Choose containers with cheerful spring colors for even more drama, or opt for neutral pots and containers such as concrete, wood, or wicker so the blooms will really stand out. Frost-free or frost-resistant pots can be the best choices in early spring or if your area is prone to late freezes. To further protect your spring containers, be sure you have appropriate covers or cloches in case of frost warnings, or add a layer of mulch or moss to top dress the pots and help insulate the soil and delicate roots of the plants.
Use good quality potting soil for your containers, and fertilize spring containers gently but regularly to promote the best growth and vibrant blooms. Take care not to overwater pots, balancing your watering regimen with Mother Nature’s spring rains. Pots should have good drainage to be sure excess water can easily flow away from the root zone. Placing pots on casters or stands can also help improve drainage and be sure the pots are not sitting in spring puddles.
To help your spring containers last as long as possible, deadhead the flowers regularly with sharp, thin pruning snips. This will keep the pots tidy and encourage reblooming for a longer flowering season, letting you enjoy every spring bloom well into the season.
