13 Spring Flowering Bulbs for the Prettiest Garden on the Block
Here are the best spring flowering bulbs for your garden
Country Living editors select each product featured. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Why Trust Us?
After a long, colorless winter, springtime means flowers, and lots of them! And among the best spring flowers, bulbs are a gardener's not-so-secret weapon, because they're perennial, meaning they come back so you can enjoy them year after year (Here are more differences between annual and perennial plants.) Many bulbs, such as grape hyacinths, also will naturalize, which means they’ll spread, creating a carpet of color for years to come.
One important point to remember about most spring flowering bulbs (as well as related types of bulb-like structures such as corms, tubers and rhizomes) is that you must plant them in the fall for blooms the following spring. That’s because these bulbs require a period of prolonged cold weather in order to bloom well. You typically can plant bulbs as long as the ground is not frozen, so that’s from early October until mid-December in most of the country. Also, make sure the bulbs you buy will survive winters in your USDA Hardiness Zone. (Find your zone here.)
But no worries if you forgot to plant spring flowering bulbs last fall! Spring is a great time to shop for bulbs because you can see them in bloom to learn what you like, then order early from online nurseries for the widest selection. Plus, pre-ordering is smart because the number of bulbs available in any given year is limited (they can’t just “make more”). Vendors then ship the bulbs when it’s time to plant in your area.
Ahead, our favorite flowering bulbs to make your garden a spring showpiece:
Snowdrop
A member of the amaryllis family, these petite, charming white flowers with nodding heads pop up when snow still is on the ground in early spring. Snowdrops are deer and rodent resistant, so they’re a good choice if hungry garden visitors tend to eat your other bulbs.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 7
Read more: How to Plant and Care for Galanthus, or Snowdrop Flowers
Anemone
When planted in warm climates in fall, these stunning flowers appear in early spring. In cold climates, plant in spring for early summer flowers (though you’ll have to dig up the corms before winter and replant again next year because they can’t withstand prolonged freezing temperatures).
USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 11
Winter Aconite
This low-growing, clumping flower shows off bright yellow blooms in late winter or early spring. It naturalizes readily in the right growing conditions. Rodents also tend to leave the tubers alone.
Read more: 14 Beautiful Outdoor Plants That Can Handle the Winter
USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9
Tulip
These stately flowers are a must-have in any spring garden. Tulips come in every shade you can imagine and bloom early, mid or late-spring, depending on the variety. Some have double petals or ruffled blooms. Most types of tulips flower best the first year, then taper off. But a few types, such as Darwin hybrids, usually return for a few years. A more petite type of tulip, species tulips, tend to naturalize so they’re a good choice if you want repeat blooms.
Read more: 19 Facts Every Tulip Lover Should Know
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8
Hyacinth
The strong fragrance of these lovely, sturdy spring flowering bulbs make them worth planting. They come in various shades of blue, white, and pink and make a reliable return performance for many years, typically blooming in mid to late spring. Rodents tend to leave them alone.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8
Grape Hyacinth
These adorable flowers look like the baby brothers of full-sized hyacinths. They have a milder, grape-like fragrance and make a beautiful plant for rock gardens or to edge beds and walkways. They bloom in mid to late spring and are available in white, pink, purple, blue, and variegated purple.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8
Fritillaria
These unique flowers have large, nodding bell-shaped flowers above grassy foliage. They’re quite striking in appearance and come in unique forms and colors ranging from a checkered pattern to bright orange to deep purple.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 7
Crocus
The cheerful little heads of crocus often appear when snow still is on the ground. They come in a variety of bright shades from purest white to deep purple. But they are a delicacy to digging rodents, such as chipmunks, so plant them with other less-tasty bulbs, such as daffodils, to ensure you aren’t just feeding your neighborhood rodents.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8
Leucojum
Petite white bells on arching stems make these delightful flowers just right for edging walkways. They bloom mid-spring, and deer and rodents don’t usually bother them.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8
Dutch Iris
These darling flowers pop up from thin, swordlike foliage with orchid-like blooms in mid to late spring. They make excellent cut flowers and come in a variety of colors including white, yellow, and amethyst.
USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8
Daffodil
Sunny yellow daffodils are a sure sign spring has arrived. These are some of the most carefree, reliable bulbs. Plus, rodents and deer avoid them. They bloom early, mid and late season depending on the variety and come in heights ranging from a few inches to about 2 feet tall.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9
Allium
Alliums are striking ball-shaped flowers that make outstanding accents in spring beds. Rodents tend to leave alliums alone. They come in heights ranging from a few inches to a several feet tall.
USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9
Papaver
These gorgeous ruffled, papery-looking flowers bloom from late spring to early summer. The roots should be planted in fall, though some types can be planted in spring.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9
11 Hard-to-Kill Garden Plants
10 Hanging Basket Flowers to Perk Up Your Porch
These Self-Seeding Flowers Plant Themselves!
How to Deadhead Peonies: Avoid This Mistake
