After a long winter, if you are like me, you could use some of the earliest spring blooming flowers to brighten your yard and your spirits. Many plants like lilacs and peonies are spring blooming plants but they bloom a little later on in the spring. Why not incorporate some of the earliest spring blooming flowers into your landscape? By doing this, you can get a jump on the growing season, and enjoy color as early as possible.  Seeing the very first blossoms always gives me a lift.  Our top ten picks for the earliest spring blooming flowers are these:

1. Magnolia
2. Forsythia
3. Flowering Quince 
4. Pussy Willow
5. Crocus
6. Daffodils
7. Pasque Flower
8. Creeping Phlox
9. Grape Hyacinth
10. Trillium. 

The first 4 plants in our top ten picks of the earliest spring blooming flowers fall into the category of 'trees and shrubs', and the rest would fall into the category of 'perennials and bulbs'. If you plant a combination of these, not only will you be able to achieve a difference in heights, but also in colors. For example, the Forsythia blooms even before the leaves burst forth with an intense yellow. Quince gives a beautiful display of orange, and creeping phlox comes in a variety of colors ranging from white to pink to purple. 

This photo of a crocus poking it's brave little head out of the snow clearly shows that it is in a bed area that needs some "spring cleanup".  Doing spring cleanup in your yard will also help to get you into the swing of the season, and lift your spirits as well. Just like it is nicer to come home to a clean house, the same goes for a clean bed. We, at Landscapes by Tom, can give your yard a good spring cleanup for you.  We can edge your beds, clean out any dead foliage, weed, prune, and top dress your mulch areas. Getting your yard beautified early in the spring will help you to enjoy your landscaping to it's fullest for the entire season.