For a spring display, plan ahead and plant up your containers in fall. The plants selected here oer
a range of shapes, sizes, and colors to combine. Some, such as the elephant’s ears and heuchera,
provide attractive winter foliage before the bulbs and other flowers burst into life.
ELEPHANT’S EARS
Bergenia ‘Silberlicht’
Grow this evergreen perennial with
spring bulbs in containers. It has large,
oval, dark green leaves, which create a
foil for the clusters of white flowers that
appear on its red-tinged stems. It
reaches about 18 in (45 cm) tall and its
leaves spread slightly wider. It thrives in
sun or partial shade and likes moist
potting soil.
CROCUS
Crocus ‘Snow Bunting’
Plant this corm (similar to a bulb)
in small pots in fall for an early
spring display. ‘Snow Bunting’ has
fragrant white flowers with yellow
centers and a purple blush on the outer
petal surfaces. Its grasslike leaves are
green with white lines. It likes a sunny
spot in moist potting soil, and grows to
3 in (7 cm).
CHOOSING FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE
FOR SPRING CONTAINERS
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FLOWERS & FOLIAGE // CHOOSING FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE 54–55
GRAPE HYACINTH
Muscari armeniacum
Plant this spring bulb in autumn
with daodils and early tulips. The
small, fragrant, deep blue flowers,
held in cone-shaped clusters, are
accompanied by grassy green leaves.
It likes a sunny or partially shaded
spot and well-drained soil, so avoid
overwatering or ensure the pot drains
eectively. It grows to 8 in (20 cm).
ANGLED SOLOMON’S SEAL
Polygonatum odoratum
This perennial has oval to lance-shaped,
mid-green leaves on arching stems and,
in late spring to early summer, fragrant,
hanging, bell-shaped, green-tipped
white flowers. Plant it in containers in
fall for spring color and fresh, substantial
foliage. It can grow to 24 in (60 cm), and
thrives in partial shade and when kept
moist. Cut back in fall.
TULIP
Tulipa clusiana var. chrysantha
Blooming from early spring, this tulip
makes a dainty feature in pots or troughs
of well-drained, gritty, potting soil. It
bears small, bowl-shaped, yellow
blooms, tinged red on the outside. Plant
the bulbs in fall, perhaps combined with
blue hyacinths or scillas. It likes a sunny
spot and may reach 12 in (30 cm).
PANSY
Viola x wittrockiana
This valuable short-lived plant has oval
leaves and from late winter to spring
produces flowers in almost every shade
imaginable, providing a colorful frill
around pots of spring bulbs. Plant it in
containers of soil-based or multi-purpose
potting mix in a sunny spot where it will
bloom for many weeks before and while
the bulbs flower. It reaches 8 in (20 cm).
HEUCHERA
Heuchera villosa ‘Palace Purple’
This evergreen perennial has large,
lobed, glossy, purple foliage, providing
year-round interest. In a pot, its leaves
are a foil for spring flowers, while in
summer it produces small white flowers
on wiry stems. Plant it in pots and place
it in a sunny spot, keeping it well
watered. It can grow to 18 in (45 cm).
DAFFODIL
Narcissus ‘Jack Snipe’
Try combining this early to mid-
spring–flowering bulb with grape
hyacinth or polyanthus. It grows to
about 9 in (23 cm) tall, producing
creamy white flowers with short,
bright yellow cups and narrow, dark
green leaves. Plant in fall in a
container of soil-based potting mix
and set it in sun or partial shade.
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