Plants to Plant in Spring: Flowers, Bulbs, Grasses, and Groundcovers

Why Spring?

Spring is ideal: warming soil and air, abundant natural rainfall, and a full growing season ahead. Plant after the last frost—either start indoors earlier or buy starts from a nursery.

European Wild Ginger (Asarum europaeum)

Evergreen shade groundcover. Glossy leathery leaves release fragrance when stepped on. Purplish-brown flowers 5–7 inches tall, bloom late spring. Space 8–12 inches. Water during summer dry spells.

Gladiolus (Gladiolus × hortulanus)

Blooms in nearly every color except true blue; often splashed. Tall flat fans of sword-shaped leaves (6–12 in wide). Flower spikes 2–5 ft. Plant bulbs 6 inches apart in moist soil after last frost.

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

Ornamental grass for erosion control on dry slopes. Warm-season perennial, 12 in tall/wide. Flowering stems reach 36 in by midsummer. Green all summer, copper-orange in fall. Plant seedlings 24 inches apart in well-drained areas.

Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)

Showy ornamental grass. Fertile soil + full sun → 5–12 ft tall, 12 ft clumps. Flower stems 8–15 ft with 1–3 ft feathery white/pink plumes. Plumes dried for decor. Space 5–8 ft apart to avoid crowding.

Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)

Groundcover forming thick mats of woolly gray leaves. 6–10 in tall, spreads 36+ in. Fast-growing evergreen; white star-shaped flowers late spring. Space 12–18 in where it can spread. Can be invasive in favorable conditions.