Beautiful Spring Garden Plants that Shine this Season

By Calin Oancea and Florin Gabriel

4/9/20246 min read

This season is ideal for planting a variety of flowers and foliage that will transform your garden into a colorful oasis.

In this article, we explore 9 exceptional spring garden plants each offers unique growth habits to enhance your outdoor space. We saw and inspected these must-have plants in reality and then ranked them based on look, maintainance and lifetime.

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multiple blooming spring flowers
multiple blooming spring flowers
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In This Article

  1. Peonies

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  1. Iris

  1. Dwarf Japanese Cedar

a green spring bush with a pink flower on top
a green spring bush with a pink flower on top

Peonies

Peonies, with their lush, fragrant blooms, reach a height of 60-90 cm (2-3 ft). They thrive in well-drained soil and a sunny spot. Plant these perennials in the fall for a stunning late spring display. Peonies are long-lived flowering shrubs and perfect for creating eye-catching borders or as cut flowers for indoor arrangements. They are also deer-resistant, making them a great choice for gardens in areas with wildlife.

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Dwarf Japanese Cedar

This slow-growing shrub isn't a Dwarf bush with flowers but features soft, needle-like foliage that adds texture to the garden. It's perfect for small spaces, rock gardens, or as a specimen plant, requiring minimal pruning and care. Dwarf Japanese Cedar, growing to about 1-1.2 m (3-4 ft), is a compact evergreen with a rounded form. It prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.

a small white-green Japanese Cedar Bush
a small white-green Japanese Cedar Bush
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a beautiful purple spring flower named Iris
a beautiful purple spring flower named Iris

Iris

Irises, with their striking flowers, can reach heights of 20-120 cm (8-47 in). They thrive in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Irises can bloom all summer long making them a great July and June plant. The blue flowers come in a wide range of colors unique, intricate petals. They are perfect for borders, garden beds or meadows, and their hardiness makes them a low-maintenance choice for spring gardens.

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multiple pink  Plumeria flowers and Leaves
multiple pink  Plumeria flowers and Leaves

Plumeria

This tropical flower called Plumeria reaches 2-8 m (6-25 ft) and is celebrated for its fragrant, leathery spring flowers used in making leis. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Plumerias are drought-tolerant and can be grown in containers, making them suitable for various garden settings.

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a Forsythia bush with a bunch of yellow flowers in spring
a Forsythia bush with a bunch of yellow flowers in spring

Forsythia

Forsythia is perfect for filling your yard in the spring with a burst of yellow blooms but is also great for minimal-care landscaping. Its branches can stretch up to 3m (10 feet). For optimal growth, it is best to plant it in the fall or early spring, in full sun to partial shade, and then let the sunshine in. Forsythias can grow as much as 24 inches in a year.

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Daffodils

Daffodils, growing to about 30-50 cm (12-20 in), herald the arrival of spring with their bright, cheerful blooms. We found that planting these bulbs in the fall in well-drained soil and a sunny or partially sunny location yields the best results. Daffodils are known for their ability to naturalize, meaning they'll come back year after year, increasing in number for an ever-more colorful blooms.

multiple yellow booming Daffodils flowers in spring
multiple yellow booming Daffodils flowers in spring
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Snapdragons are well-known and very popular, there are a lot of Snapdragon varieties, but they are almost the same. It is also a very popular plant for august that blooms all summer long and grows all around the world including the Himalayan regions mostly in the southern valleys.

Snapdragon

orange yellow Snapdrago blooms
orange yellow Snapdrago blooms
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a bunch of pink and purple spring Lilac blooms on a stem
a bunch of pink and purple spring Lilac blooms on a stem

Lilacs

Lilacs, varying in size but typically reaching 2-5 m (6-16 ft), are known for their fragrant flowers that bloom in late spring. Ideal for hedges or standalone specimens, these ornamental bushes attract butterflies and are excellent for adding both fragrance and color to your garden. They are also low maintenance, requiring little care once established.

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a pink flowering Hyaciths flower in a spring garden
a pink flowering Hyaciths flower in a spring garden

Hyacinths, growing to about 15-30 cm (6-12 in), are beloved for their fragrant, bell-shaped flower spikes. Plant the bulbs in the fall in well-drained soil and a sunny location for a fragrant spring display. They are perfect for borders, rock gardens, or walkways where their sweet fragrance can be fully appreciated. Hyacinths are also excellent for growing indoors.

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Hyacinths

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Sources

Nature and Sustainability uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, and other fact-dense and highly trusted sources to support the facts that we use in our articles. Please read our editorial policy to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. 

  1. Peony: Peony - Wikipedia

  2. Iris: Iris | Description, Species, & Facts | Britannica

  3. Daffodils: Narcissus| North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

  4. Lilac: Lilacs: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Lilac Shrubs | The Old Farmer's Almanac

  5. Snapdragon: Antirrhinum majus | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

  6. Plumeria: Plumeria - Wikipedia

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Calin Oancea
Calin Oancea
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Article By:

Calin has been in the garden industry for 5 years and knows a lot about gardening and plants. He owns this website and is responsible for most of the content.

Reviewed By:

Florin, a more technical guy, is responsible for the design, reviewing the articles and making improvements, and optimizing for SEO so that everything we publish looks deam good.