Joseph in northern Indiana here… where a string of warm days has pushed my garden over into the earliest flowers of spring, despite the early date.
I picked this hellebore (Helleborus hybrid, Zone 4 – 8) from a local nursery with no tag, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was just a small plant, and I honestly wasn’t sure it would flower this year, but here it is! A nice double pink, and the flowers don’t hang down quite as much as most varieties I’ve grown. I’m happy!
When I moved into this house two and a half years ago, the backyard was choked with invasive weeds like Lonicera maackii. One of the rewards for clearing that out was discovering clumps of common snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis, Zone 3 – 8).
In the front garden I’ve planted lots of giant snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii, Zone 4 – 8). You can see how it gets the name, compared to the flowers of the common snowdrop in the backyard. The giant is a bit earlier blooming too. But I love both of them!
I planted a bunch of crocuses (Crocus minimus ‘Spring Beauty’, Zone4 – 8 ) last fall… the squirrels ate most of them, but a few survived and are blooming.
Reticulata irises (Iris reticulata and related species and hybrids, Zone 5 – 9) are favorite early bloomers for me. They don’t persist well in heavy clay soils, but this garden is very sandy so they seem happy. This one was part of a mix of different varieties, so I’m not sure of the cultivar name, but it sure is pretty!
I always forget just how early Pulmonaria (Zone 3 – 8) are. I always think of bulbs as early bloomers, but this little perennial starts so soon, with plenty of more blooms to come.
And maybe my favorite early bloomer of all… snow trillium (Trillium nivale, Zone 3 – 8). It isn’t QUITE open yet, but will be soon! I love this little plant because it is so early, AND it is native, a key food source for native pollinators coming out of their winter hibernation.
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