by Linda Batey

Created on: May 07, 2009

Here in the cold Northeast, we await spring and its blooms with eagerness. I've planted my spring bulbs and the fall and have forgotten where I put them, so my blooms are always a surprise. Sometimes it's a good surprise, and sometimes I have to scurry and move them before anyone notices my mistakes.

A few of my choices for the 10 Best Plants for spring may seem odd, but there are reasons for my madness. These are all very easy care and will bloom year after year with little help from you other than a bit of fertilizer after they bloom.

1. Tulips are available in practically all the colors of the rainbow and you can purchase early-season, mid-season and late-season for a very long blooming time. Deadheading (removing the spent blossoms) will keep them healthy by allowing the nutrients to go back into the bulb.

2. Daffodils are my absolute favorite spring flower. The varieties are nearly endless and daffodils are very tough. I sometimes divide them even while they're blooming and they don't even notice. Every few years, dig them up after they are done blossoming and divide the bulbs-they multiply like crazy! If you have a bunch that doesn't blossom very well, divide them.

3. Hyacinth smells like I imagine heaven must smell. One small little blossom scents my entire front yard on a sunny day, and they too are very tough, allowing division even when they are in bloom. You'll be amazed at how many bulbs you'll find under a plant that hasn't been touched in a few years.

4. Pansies just look so darned happy, with their smiling faces in multitudes of color combinations. As long as you keep the blossoms picked, you'll have lots to pick. You can plant these as soon as you are sure you won't get an extended frost.

5. Grape Hyacinth are a wonderful addition to a flower bed or naturalized under trees. They grow very well with absolutely no care and multiply like rabbits.

6. Crocus are the very first flower I get to see in the spring. While there may be a snow bank or two in my yard, the crocus will be blooming next to my south-facing foundation in the backyard. They come in several colors and require virtually no care.

7. Bleeding Heart seem to grow wherever I put themsun or shade. After a few years, you can drive a spade right down through the root to divide the plant. It won't look very good for the rest of the season, but next spring it will be beautiful.

8. Knapweed (Centenauria) is a shade-loving low bush-like flower with vibrant purple-blue flowers. Plant where you don't mind if it spreads, because it will. One flower will easily be six next year. For that reason, they are a little intrusive. I like to plant them at the edge of the woods in my backyard as a border between my lawn and the woods.

9. Columbine, once established, grow with no care. Establishing them can be a process, since they like the soil moist and not dry, and need just the right amount of sun/shade. There are many colors available and they vary in height.

10. Ferns are terrific for adding bright green color and texture to a garden. They don't intrude or require care at all. There are many varieties, and my favorite is Maine's fiddlehead fern.

So, in a nutshell, these are my favorite spring plants that everyone should add to their garden for early season beauty.

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