Brilliant early spring garden plants
Spring is one of the most exciting times in any garden. After months of stillness, everything begins to move again.
In this video, I share some of my favourite early spring garden plants. These are plants that I wait for with bated breath every spring.
They tell me that winter is over and the botanical world is about to do something very special!
Watch the video and read on for more details:
Five of my favourite early spring garden plants
These early spring garden plants are very reliable. They return year after year without much intervention, and gradually settle into their surroundings.
Many of them come from ecosystems similar to our own, which is part of what makes them feel so at home. Over time, they don’t just grow well, they become part of the garden.
1. Hamamelis x intermedia 'Pallida' - Hybrid Witch Hazel
One of the earliest flowering shrubs you can grow, Hamamelis flower right at the end of winter and into early spring.
In the wild, witch hazels grow as woodland-edge shrubs, and they tend to feel most at home in similar conditions in the garden.
Given a sheltered position with good light and a naturalistic backdrop, they will become a real treasure that you look forward to seeing flower early each year.
2. Prunus x yedoensis - Yoshino Cherry
Few garden plants capture the season like cherry trees.
Beyond the many cultivated varieties, cherries grow wild across much of the world, giving them a special resonance.
They blur the line between designed and natural spaces, helping gardens feel rooted, connected, and less isolated.
3. Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum' - Barrenwort
A delicate, subtle, and incredibly reliable early spring garden plant for shade.
Epimedium thrives in dappled light, forming a soft, spreading layer beneath trees and shrubs. It’s not a plant that demands attention, but it will definitely grab yours when it starts flowering around mid-March.
I love layering Epimedium with other shade-tolerant plants in a way that mimics woodland habitats.
It works well with grasses like Deschampsia cespitosa, Calamagrostis brachytricha, and Sesleria autumnalis. Looks lovely underneath Hamamelis x intermedia, and with perennials such as Geranium, Rodgersia, and Anemone x hybrida.
4. Corydalis curviflora subsp. rosthornii ‘Blue Heron’ - Blue Corydalis
One of the more unusual garden plants. I often notice them growing out of small cracks in shady garden walls.
It’s a reminder that some of the most natural-feeling planting comes from allowing plants to settle where they’re happiest.
Surprisingly, Corydalis is in the Papaveraceae (the poppy family).
5. Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ - Nepalese paper plant
This might be the most fragrant of the early spring garden plants.
Native to the Himalayas, Daphne bholua grows in woodland and scrub, often in sheltered conditions. In the garden, it performs best in a similar setting: protected and well-drained.
Planted near a path or entrance, its fragrance becomes part of the experience of the garden. Not just how it looks, but how it feels.
Did I miss any corkers?
Have you got any favourite plants for this time of the year? I’d love to hear about them so I can give them a go in our garden, or at least see if I can spot them when I’m out and about.
Please leave me a comment to let me know!
Happy spring.
Joe
Joe Vary Dip. Hort (Wisley), MCIHort, CMTGG
I'm a gardener, educator, consultant, and planting designer. Learn with me 1-to-1, or join my mentoring group and community.
This Post Has 8 Comments
Hi Joe
What a lovely suprise in my inbox. Thank you for your video and plant suggestions. Im looking forward to the Course, and may have signed up twice!!
Thanks so much for your comment Jaine. You can never sign up too many times 😆
I’m really excited to get this free course out very soon. Hopefully in the next month.
All the best,
Joe
Thanks Joe
Thanks for commenting Val 😊
I’m really glad you enjoyed the video.
All the best,
Joe
Great video that feels like a real welcome to spring-
Thanks Joe for continuing to inspire and motivate me to keep ‘getting out there’ and studying and enjoying my garden.
Like Jaine , I too am looking forward to the course.
Thank you Jo!
It’s fantastic to hear that you’re enjoying spending time in your garden and learning at the same time.
The weather is definitely warming up now, so hopefully you’re already starting to see some of your favourite plants again 🌱
Best wishes,
Joe
Thank you for another lovely video packed with information and inspiration.
I followed the video about how to sow seeds gathered from the garden. Dozens of the seeds have germinated and are growing on nicely, all little marvels!
Looking forward to the course. Pen and paper at the ready!
It’s so amazing to hear that you’ve been growing your own plants from seed Christine! I’m really glad you’re having success with them.
Funny enough, I just started potting-on some of my autumn sown seedlings yesterday. I’m only doing the ones that are big enough to handle, and the smaller ones will have to wait until they’re a bit more “grown up” 🌱
Thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate it. And I’m really looking forward to bringing the Botanical Plant Names course out in the next few weeks (fingers crossed), so keep your pen and paper handy!
Happy gardening 😁
Joe