Everybody loves Spring flowers. They are a reassurance that Winter is over, Spring is on its way and there will be sun, warmth and LIFE again. The only thing about Spring flowers is that some of them are here today, GONE tomorrow. Here’s a few of my very favorite Spring flowers that you don’t want to miss!
Daffodils
Here in the Willamette Valley, Daffodils are usually the first Spring flower to make their presence known. They run rampant in the yards of old farmhouses, spread like wildfire and can usually be spotted randomly out in the middle of a field. How that happens, I’m not totally sure, but I love it! Once I dove deep into planting Spring bulbs, I realized how much more there is to the world of daffodils than just your typical yellow variety. There are some insanely gorgeous varietals out there (including Daffodil’s cousin cultivar- Narcissus) and I just want to get my hands on nearly all of them.
In certain areas of the country (or Europe!) there are beautiful daffodil farms that are available to visit. If you’re local, here’s a great place to check some out.
Hyacinths
Hyacinths always remind me of an ice cream cone. One of those 3- 4 scoopers, stacked extra high. And goodness, doesn’t it seem that they last just about as long as an ice cream cone? Quickly melting away into the warmer weather. Hyacinths aren’t always as easy to find in your big box stores, but they are worth tracking down and taking the time to plant in the fall. I love the way it looks when hyacinths are grouped together in little bundles. That’s what I’ve done here at Bramblewood in the front Cottage garden and they’ve doubled this year, much to my delight.
My favorites are the periwinkle varieties, but as you can see, I’ve gone for this salmon color (Gyspy Queen) so far, and they are such a breath of fresh air first thing in Spring.
Tulips
Not 20 miles from us is an absolutely massive tulip farm. They have an annual festival that draws thousands of people, and pretty much every IG influencer ever. It’s a fun place to take photos if you can manage to get there in good light and avoid the crowds. But photos aren’t even the reason for the festival, it’s the tulips! The rows upon rows of the beautiful blooms are breathtaking to behold, but honestly, I prefer the kind I have right in my own front yard.
Rather than go for a bunch of different varieties, I’ve chosen two tulips to use everywhere: Le Belle Epoque and Queen of the Night. La Belle Epoque is a beautiful, double-flowered variety that ranges from apricot to mauve and looks absolutely gorgeous until the day the petals finally drop to the ground. Queen of the Night is a dark, almost black-purple, more classic tulip shape. I have these planted in little rounds of 25 or so bulbs, and they are striking! Tulips are a must-have, must-see this time of year.
Lilacs
Lilacs. You can’t be an Anne of Green Gables fan without having a special place in your heart for lilacs. Before I had my babies, when I was working at a restaurant on the other side of the valley, I used to drive by this beautiful old church up on a hillside surrounded by lilacs. Every now and then I’d pull into the drive and walk around the pioneer cemetery. It was the most romantical place, very Anne-girl, and I dreamed of someday doing a photoshoot there. Crazily enough, just a few years ago my four college roommates and I did an Anne-inspired shoot there for an issue of Notebook Quarterly. It was so fun to see that all come full circle. Magical!
And that’s exactly how I feel about lilacs. Lilac’s perfume is heady. It’s like a gardenia or honeysuckle. When you stick your face into a bunch of lilac blooms, you simply can’t think of anything else. Despite never having been a huge purple person, I love just about every shade of lilacs, but especially those that are a milky violet. So ethereal and soft. If you don’t have any lilacs, plant them. They are abundant out in the country, growing to massive size in old farmyards. We have somewhere around 10 here on our property, some lining a section of the driveway. It may have been a selling point for me.
Peonies
Peonies are one of the things I haven’t gotten around to getting established here at our property just yet. Which makes me sad. Next to lilacs, peonies might be my all-time favorites. Their tight round buds, the antennae-like shape they take on as they just start to open, and then the blousy, crepe-papery blossom they become in the end. I LOVE them.
The first house we lived in when we moved back to the family farm 10 years ago had what were probably 40-50 year old peony plants. They were incredible; white, magenta, light pink and a creamy color with hot pink streaks. I’d gather armfuls of them every year, and I even transplanted some to our next house. They didn’t make the move to Bramblewood however, and peonies are definitely first on the list of plants to add once we get our landscaping squared away.
Orchard Blossoms
Maybe not something that everybody would consider a “spring flower,” but orchard blossoms are definitely one of the signs of life I look forward to every year. Here on our property we have the luxury of an old orchard- mostly apples- right across the driveway from my kitchen window. The trees have seen better days, some quite gnarled or misshapen. Some overgrown to the point where the tallest harvest ladder won’t even reach all it’s fruit. But good golly is it beautiful. Especially this time of year.
Then, when the blossoms are spent, for days all their tiny white petals rain down on the ground like snow. They drift slowly, gently to the ground, twirling- almost weightless- on the breeze, and carpet the vibrant Spring grass with what appears to be a light frost. It’s so special and one of my very favorite things.
While you may not have a gnarly old fruit orchard in your backyard, a lot of folks have a flowering (or fruit) tree or two to work with. Cutting a few flowering branches is a lovely table centerpiece too, when other flowers haven’t quite made their appearance.
How to enjoy Spring flowers in your home
The best way to enjoy Spring flowers in your home is freshly cut in a vase, obviously. Whether it’s a bundle of daffodils or a bouquet of peonies. It does seem that these fast-fading beauties are a little more particular than some of their hardier summer friends. Here’s a few tips to make sure your blooms last as long as possible indoors:
- Daffodils. Daffodils contain a sticky sap-like substance inside their stems, a sap which definitely affects the life-span of other flowers. So the first tip for making sure daffodils last well in a vase is to keep them with their own kind. You also want to cut them at a 45-degree angle so they can absorb water more easily (45-degrees so their stems don’t sit flat on the bottom of the vase). Like most flowers, you’ll want to remove any leaves that might be below the water line. And change your vase water frequently.
- Hyacinths. Interestingly, hyacinths can be grown as a forced bulb in a vase, so you could buy them that way (sold at Trader Joe’s) display them for the season, then throw them in ground. Or, you can display them very similarly to daffodils. Keep the water clean and they should last. They are a more tender bloom though, so don’t be discouraged if they fade fast. You can also just enjoy them from the nearest window, living happily out in the garden!
- Tulips. Tulips are an interesting cut flower because their stem continues to elongate in the vase. It’s why they so often end up with that droopy shape. Which actually, in the right application- like the Dutch masters style florals- looks really lovely. But if you don’t want your tulips reaching for the ground, you can simply trim them up when you change your vase water. Same rules apply as daffodils, make sure all leaves are removed that would hit below the water line. Unlike daffodils though, tulips are lovely combined with other blooms.
- Lilacs. I am far from a floral expert, which is why sometimes my lilacs have thrived indoors and other times, my lilacs have died indoors. My main tip is to harvest them in the early morning or evening, when it’s cooler. Take a quick second to take a photo of yourself with armloads of lilacs. Trust me, it’s the best. Then, immediately strip off all leaves. Slice vertically about 1/2 inch into the woody stem, and get them in water as fast as you can.
- Peonies. Peonies are easy peasy in bouquets. Cut ’em. Remove unwanted foliage. Stick in some water. I love to harvest them when they’re still in the ball stage, watching them slowly open up over the course of a few days. I then leave them in place until they drop all their petals and a little pile of yellow pollen from their centers. Peonies can last a long time! Especially fresh. But say it with me now, YOU GOTTA CHANGE THAT WATER.
- Orchard Blooms. As I mentioned earlier, displaying a vase of flowering branches can be super beautiful. The only trick is, some of them are…shall we say, not the *best* fragrance. So, unless you want a stinky corner display, make sure you smell test your flowering branches. I’ve found quince flowers to be beautiful smelling and looking.
Tools for enjoying Spring flowers
Enjoying Spring flowers indoors (or out) isn’t complicated at all, but here’s a few simple tools that help me with both Spring gardening and flower arranging.
- Floral shears. For clipping blooms to bring indoors, slicing those lilac stems or trimming orchard branches, these shears are a must!
- A tall vase. So many Spring blooms are tall and spindly. If you don’t have a tall vase to display them in, they can fall a bit flat. This is a fun height, great color and universal style, whether you’ve got an old farmhouse or apartment in the city.
- Table runner. This may seem random, but a beautiful Spring bouquet really pops against a fun, Spring-y table runner. I might order this one for my own table, which has taken a beating this winter from daily homeschool, family game nights and rowdy meals with two boys.
Share your favorite Spring flowers!
What are your favorite Spring blooms? What do you look forward to most this time of year!?
Make sure you pin this image below so everybody knows which Spring flowers not to miss! And leave a comment below with your faves. HAPPY SPRING!!!!
