10 Best Spring Plants Chosen By Our Experts
March 4th, 2022 | Categories
At this time of year, there are so many gorgeous spring plants to choose from it can be tricky to know what to get for your garden. Have you ever wondered what the plant experts pick to have in their garden at home?
We asked some of the horticultural experts at Squire’s Garden Centres to tell us their favourite spring plants, and what you should be planting in your garden now.
Theresa Scattergood, Plant Manager at Squire’s Washington
My favourite spring plants are:
- Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’ – A happy little golden yellow dwarf daffodil. This only grows to 15cm so it’s ideal for front borders or containers. It is very easy to grow and looks neat even when it has finished flowering. A plant to make you smile!
- Camellia japonica – An evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves. In February and March elegant rose-like flowers are produced in abundance. Ideal for a pot where this beautiful shrub can take centre stage in the garden.
- Sarcococca – Also known as ‘Sweet Box’ this evergreen shrub has strongly scented white flowers which appear from December until March. A compact plant ideal for containers, the heady honey like scent is intoxicating.
- Azalea ‘StarStyle’ – A compact evergreen shrub, this new variety has unusual and attractive star-like flowers in pink, lilac or white. A great plant for colourful pots or borders!
Chris Carpenter, Plant Manager at Squire’s Milford
A few of my favourite plants are:
- Nemesia ‘Wisley Vanilla’ – A half-hardy perennial that has given me yearly colour in my planted containers. I love it because it’s reliable and scented. It has white flowers with a pink blush that are strongly scented of vanilla. Regular dead heading will give you colour from spring well into late autumn, even later if it’s still mild.
- Peonies – A beautiful herbaceous perennial, producing single or double flamboyant scented flowers. Some varieties can have flowers the size of dinner plates! I love seeing them emerge from the ground signalling spring has arrived, and when they flower, they give beautiful colourful to my cottage garden. I also like to use them as a cut flower to bring in the house for an arrangement on the table.
- Buddleja ‘Butterfly Candy’ – This is a fantastically reliable compact shrub, which always performs whatever the weather. It’s a low maintenance plant that comes in a range of colours from blues, pinks and whites. It will thrive in a pot or a border, so any size of garden or balcony can have one. It flourishes in a sunny spot and will give you lots of nectar rich flowers from late spring through to late autumn, which will attract lots of butterflies into your garden.
Richard Wells, Centre Manager at Squire’s Badshot Lea
Three of my favourite spring plants are:
- Rhododendron ‘Praecox’ – One of the first flowering Rhododendrons of the season, it’s a plant that really reminds you that spring has arrived! The mauve scented flowers look great against its dark evergreen leaves. Grows up to 1.5m.
- Laburnum x watereri ‘Vossii’ – A perfect tree for smaller gardens. Its common name is the ‘Golden Rain Tree’ as it produces a mass of Wisteria like golden hanging flowers that almost drip off the tree. The flowers appear in May and are incredibly eye catching. I have one in my front garden that the neighbours always comment on!
- Prunus serrula – This ‘Tibetan cherry’ tree is perfect for all gardens. It has a deep red glossy peeling bark that looks amazing through winter, followed by masses of small white flowers which appear in early spring. It can grow up to 5m tall. My parents had one in their front garden which I fondly use to climb when I was a child!
Whether you are looking for plants that are beautifully scented, easy to grow or give an explosion of spring colour, it’s time to treat yourself, and your garden, to some new plants.
