There is nothing like watching the first flower of spring appear, pushing up out of the soil, through matted, wet leaves, turning its pretty face to the sun. What a joy to witness! I don’t think I’ll ever lose the childlike excitement that comes over me each year as I search for the first plants pushing up their new growth. One of the greatest pleasures of living in a 4-season climate has got to be the coming of spring.

And after the winter we’ve endured! Many of my garden clients were heartbroken after finding their most prized trees and shrubs decimated by the weight of the snow. My own American hollies, some of which must be 50 years old, snapped in half during the November storm, despite our efforts to get out there to shake the snow off. Thankfully, our struggle wasn’t all in vain – our old kousa dogwood and star magnolia weathered the storm without much damage.

Mother Nature’s reward for enduring a long winter is sweet.

Eranthis down the road — *Eranthis* down the road

The neighbor’s bright yellow winter aconite was out first – spilling out from the side porch of their old farmhouse. The first ones must have been planted generations ago, and now they’ve naturalized beautifully across the lawn. One of the earliest to bloom, aconite (Eranthis) has a cheerful yellow flower similar to a buttercup that sits atop a whorl of leaves. It only reaches about 4” high, and self seeds freely, making it a nice choice for a mass planting. Aconite looks especially pretty in a woodland setting, perhaps along a path or at the edge of the woods, where it has dappled shade and moist soil throughout the growing season.

There are many small bulbs that can be used to great effect when allowed to naturalize – meaning to spread and come back year after year – across a lawn, including Siberian squill (Scilla siberica), snow crocus (Crocus chrysanthus or tommasinianus), winter aconite (Eranthis), and snowdrops (Galanthus), to name a few of my favorites. These early spring flowers bloom and finish before the grass needs its first mowing, making them nice choices for those of us looking to brighten up the spring landscape in a unique way.

Planting bulbs directly into the lawn is a nice way to develop parts of your property outside the garden beds. This technique is quite old-fashioned, the most eye-catching displays usually occurring around old houses and farms, even parks and cemeteries, where Mother Nature has created a masterpiece over time. I’ve read that these particular flowers do best in a thin lawn, where they aren’t competing with thick grass. Just another reason to repurpose that bit of lawn where nothing but moss wants to grow! (aka: our entire front yard) In addition, these bulbs will do best for those of us who take a natural approach to lawn care. These delicate plants will not tolerate the strong man-made fertilizers and herbicides present in the lawn applications so many companies are using these days. (More on that soon, bet you can’t wait!)

*Scilla, tucked in under the sugar maple*

Scilla siberica, a real spring beauty, blooms a bit later than the other flowers I’ve mentioned. It's one of my all-time favorites, and one of the best for naturalizing. Short, grass-like leaves poke through the ground in late March, giving way to nodding bell-shaped flowers that are true-blue in color (quite rare). Talk about a hardy plant – they bloom down to Zone 2! It’s April 12, and I am still patiently waiting for my squill to open. With the sunny forecast the next couple days, I shouldn’t have long to wait for those glorious blue swaths to appear and reflect the spring sky.

Early blooming snow crocus (Crocus chrysanthus or tommasinianus) are quite different from the popular giant dutch crocus (Crocus vernus). Crocus actually grow from a corm (not a bulb) which is essentially compressed stem tissue that serves as a storage unit, like a bulb. They spread underground; when the mother corm produces a couple of babies, she dies off and the cycle continues. Snow crocus bloom and finish earlier than the dutch variety, making them a good candidate for the 'lawn'scape.

Early blooming bulbs are an important source of food for bees and other pollinating insects emerging first thing in the Spring. Just yesterday I spotted a pair of honeybees buzzing around the crocus in my front yard. As a bonus, these flowers are generally safe from critters like deer and squirrels, looking to munch.

As with all bulbs, it’s important to allow the plants to absorb as much energy as possible to feed the bulb and ensure a nice bloom the following year. Wait to mow those particular sections of lawn until 4-6 weeks after the bulbs are done blooming.

When Tom and I became first-time homeowners last spring, we had no idea the man who lived here previously was an avid horticulturist. Talk about lucking out. Thanks to Bob, we inherited many beautiful treasures (more on this when peony season arrives!). One of the loveliest parts of this property, I find, is the front yard, where three 100-year-old sugar maples stand in a row. Underneath, snow crocus dot the lawn in early spring, giving way to drifts of royal blue squill. The effect is breathtaking. I am so grateful that someone, many years ago, decided to plant the first few bulbs.

When we plant something special in our landscapes, what we are really doing is bestowing a gift onto the next generation. With some of the naturalizing bulbs I’ve mentioned, you plant it once, and nature takes care of the rest, creating a real masterpiece over time.

This year I’d like to put in some winter aconite behind the house, to brighten up the woods as soon as the snow melts. In a few years it will start to spread… I can only imagine what it will look like in fifty!

Peace and blessings. And welcome to my blog!

Leah

Heart's Ground Gardening

Naturalizing with Bulbs for a Magnificent Spring Display