Here are some of my favorite harbingers
of spring, when the plants seem to be telling us it’s time to awaken, with all
their beautiful, bright colors of yellow, orange, lavender, pink, etc.
Combining these with spring blooming bulbs like crocus, daffodils, tulips etc.
can make you’re landscape come alive!!
Quince (Chaenomeles
speciosa): This is a great, old fashioned
plant. It has loads of blooms all over the bush
and comes in many different colors—red, orange, pink, and white.
I have noticed that it is also a plant that small birds like to
congregate in for protection; so planting one near your bird feeders would be
ideal. For those who like to make
jellies and jams, quince has always been one of my favorites!
Shad Bush (Amelanchier):
This is a hardy small tree with interest for
all seasons. The tree produces catkins which
open into profuse white blooms in spring.
Persistent fruit for wildlife in summer.
Stunning foliage of yellow/orange and red in the fall. The trees leafless structure and nice gray
bark is set off nicely by the winter
landscape.
Lily-of- the-Valley (Convallaria
Majoralis): When these emerge in the
spring with their sweet fragrant blooms I love to give them as gifts in tiny
vases. I have used these as a wonderful
ground cover along driveways and embankments, for erosion control. Lily-of-the-Valley mixes well with both bulbs
and plants that emerge later. 