What to plant for instant spring colour

In the middle of winter, it can feel like it’s going to be forever before spring arrives and colour returns to the garden. If you need a dose of colour and flowers to brighten up those dull winter days, here are a few ideas for spring-flowering plants to fill pots and borders.

Seven plants for instant spring colour

1. Wallflowers 

Wallflowers are available in a fantastic mix of colours, from tawny oranges and reds to bright pinks and yellows. They flower for a long time in spring, many starting as early as January or February. Wallflowers often have a lovely fragrance, so plant them in pots near a door or path so that you can appreciate the scent. Deadhead regularly to keep them flowering.

2. Primulas

Whether opting for the well-loved wild primrose (Primula vulgaris) with its pale yellow flowers or some of the more colourful pink, blue, red, yellow and even bicolour varieties available, primulas are one of the classic signs of spring. Their fantastic colours are great for pots and the front of borders and do well in light shades. Primulas are perennial, so when you replant your pots for summer, plant them out in your beds, where they will flower again next spring.

3. Polyanthus 

Polyanthus have the same colourful flowers as primulas but on longer stems and with multiple flowers per stem. They make a fabulous splash of colour in pots and brighten up a shady spot.

4. Bellis daisies

With their neat round pompom flowers, Bellis daisies are a cheerful sight in spring, perfect for filling gaps in borders and adding colour to pots and window boxes. They grow happily in the sun or light shade.

5. Violas

Violas look fantastic in spring, forming low mounds of foliage covered with flowers in almost any colour combination you can imagine. Deadhead them regularly, and they’ll flower all through spring in pots and windowboxes.

6. Potted spring bulbs

If you didn’t manage to plant bulbs in autumn, you could still enjoy the beautiful flowers in spring with a few pots of pre-planted hyacinths, daffodils, snowdrops or tulips, ready to plant out in pots or borders. As well as the colourful flowers, there’s the added advantage that once they’re planted, they’ll keep coming back year after year!

7. Heuchera

When you’re planting for spring colour, don’t forget about foliage. With leaves in a fantastic range of colours from silvery-purple to bright fire-engine red, heucheras provide an instant burst of colour in pots and borders. The sprays of pink, red or white flowers that appear in summer are a favourite with bees and other pollinators.

We have a fantastic range of spring-flowering plants at our garden centre, so visit us today to fill your garden with colour! Check our contact page for opening hours.