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Top 5 Spring Flowers for north DFW

March 3, 2019
, Plants

As spring fast approaches, everything is on the verge of blooming into life. One of the best ways to celebrate the seasons is take advantage of seasonal annuals. Annuals are the showiest and hardest working of all plants, blooming continuously throughout their seasonal life. Planting fresh spring flowers is a great way to add color to your garden and compliment stone flower bed borders. Below is our top 5 list of Spring flowers for the north DFW area.

Alyssum

This low-growing annual offers a small and delicate flower in either white or lavender. These flowers will bloom in the spring and oftentimes well into the summer. Although delicate, Alyssum requires very little care and is very drought tolerant and can grow well in almost any soil. Because of the bushy and delicate nature of the plant, Alyssum is a great choice for rock gardens or to fill in areas of a stone wall. Alyssum will grow in full sun and grows between 3-4 inches tall and 9-12 inches tall.

Begonia

A wonderful spring annual to be grown in garden beds or pots, Begonia is one of the most flexible flowers for the season. Begonia offers varieties suitable for both heavy shade and sunlight. In addition, Begonia can be found in traditional or trailing varieties. While the white, pink or red blooms are gorgeous and bloom well beyond the spring into summer, our favorite feature of the Begonia is the deep green foliage. Begonia prefers loose-well prepared soil (which is why it’s so suitable for potting)and grows between 6-15 inches tall and 12-18 inches wide if you have plant the trailing variety.

Impatiens

Impatiens are our favorite annual for shade-loving garden spots. Coming in a variety of bloom colors, Impatiens are low-growing and spread wide. They are also a bit delicate with tender stems, flowers and foliage so it would be best to plant them in a pot or in a garden bed spot with little pet or foot traffic. Similar to our other selections, Impatiens can bloom well beyond the spring season but will die off in the extreme summer heat. Due to their delicate nature, you will want to wait until we have had our final freeze before planting. Plant your Impatiens in well-prepared soil with good drainage. Impatiens will grow between 10-24 inches tall and 18-24 inches wide.

Petunia

Another sun loving annual, Petunia (often confused with Violas) offers a very showy bloom in many colors throughout the spring and a good part of summer. While Petunia will bloom into the summer, it’s best to plant them in the spring as they enjoy the cooler weather while they prepare for the summer heat. Like Begonia, Petunia offers both traditional and trailing varieties and can be enjoyed in your garden bed or in a pot. For even showier blooms, Petunia will put on a much better show if you fertilize regularly. Petunia will grow between 12-24 inches tall and 18-24 inches wide. Petunia’s are a very popular choice, so plan your trip to the local plant nursery early in order to get the best selection if you choose to add these flowers to your spring landscaping task list.

Portulaca

Also referred to as “Moss Rose” or “Rock Rose”, Portulaca is in the succulent family, offering a different foliage and plant structure than our other selections. Portulaca is another low-growing and “spreading” annual and appreciates all of the sun they can get. Portulaca is a bit more dynamic than other annuals as it produces new flowers each day. The flowers will each day and then close back up in the heat of the sun. Portulaca requires very little water and isn’t too fussy about soil as long as it drains. Portulaca is best appreciated as an interesting ground cover among rocks or in garden beds. Like all of our other recommendations, Portulaca will bloom through the spring and into the summer season as well. Purslane, which is a close relative to Portulaca is an alternative with similar characteristics but whose flowers stay open a bit longer during the day. Portulaca grows about 6 inches tall and between 12-18 inches wide.