What else will cheer you up so much as the first spring flowers breaking through the frozen on thawed patches, and some even blooming right in the middle of a snowy field? And how many names do you know of primrose flowers, or is your knowledge limited to snowdrops alone – undoubtedly beautiful, but far from the only ones? Which flowers appear first and what do they look like?
In the people it is customary to call all spring flowers, primroses, that bloom when the snow has not yet melted, snowdrops. But in botany there is a very specific flower with that name.
All the first spring flowers in the garden and in the forest – and snowdrop , and blueberry, and pushkinia, and chionodox , and white flowers – are especially acutely perceived after a long, harsh winter, creating a joyful, truly spring mood.
The first flowers after snow are very unpretentious, have high frost resistance, put up with shading, multiply quickly and easily. Such qualities make the very first spring flowers indispensable in the design of personal plots , squares, gardens and parks. They are suitable for forcing, and are good for cutting to create miniature compositions .
Below are photos and names of the first spring flowers, as well as their description.
First flowers in the snow: snowdrops
White snowdrop (galanthus) (amaryllis family). It is with a photo and description of these primrose flowers that, as a rule, all botanical reference books about the first spring plants begin. In nature, there are 18 species of snowdrops growing in Eurasia in meadows, forest edges, in broad-leaved forests, on wet rocky slopes.
The name of these first spring flowers is known to everyone since childhood – just remember the fairy tale “12 months”. And such species as Bortkevich’s snowdrop, broad-leaved, Caucasian, Voronova, Kabardian, narrow-leaved snowdrops are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
It is a perennial bulbous plant with linear leaves appearing at the same time or later than the flowers. The flowers of all types of Galanthus are dull white, solitary, drooping, 2-3 cm long, shaped like a drop ready to fall. The flower consists of 6 perianth lobes arranged in two tiers. The inner leaflets are shorter than the outer ones and usually have greenish spots. The terry shape of the snow-white snowdrop is very attractive. Peduncles 10-25 cm high. Snowdrop has a very early flowering, justifying its name. Flowers peeking out from under the snow sparkling in the sun make an unforgettable impression. The bulbs are elongated, up to 1.5 cm in diameter, with white scales, ripen in early summer.
Look at the photos of these first spring flowers – they are truly magnificent:
Snowdrops are the first flowers in the snow, they grow well on loose, moderately moist, fertile soil with a neutral reaction. Bulbs are planted at the end of summer or autumn, preferably immediately after digging, to a depth of 5-7 cm and at a distance of 5-10 cm from each other. In one place they can be grown for 5-6 years, until the multiplied plants begin to oppress each other. They reproduce not only by bulbs, but also by self-sowing. Seedlings bloom in the third or fourth year. Galantus do well without fertilizing and care.
Group plantings of these very first spring flowers under shrubs or next to deciduous trees look especially impressive.
Shading in the summer even benefits them, as it keeps the soil and bulbs from drying out.
What flowers bloom first in spring: blueberries and white flowers
Here are a couple more names and photos of primrose flowers that appear in the forest and garden plots at the very beginning of spring.
Scilla, or scylla, or blue snowdrop , belongs to the lily family. It occurs naturally in the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, and Europe.
In gardens, Siberian blueberry is most often grown. It is a bulbous ephemeroid with 3-4 broadly linear leaves. Blooms in spring from mid-April.
As you can see in the photo, this first spring flower forms from 2 to 4 multifaceted, flattened peduncles up to 20 cm high:
Bright blue bell-shaped flowers up to 2-2.5 cm in diameter are collected in 4-6 pieces in a slightly drooping brush. Less common are white and pink forms of this blueberry. The bulbs are small (up to 1.5 cm in diameter), dense, ovoid, covered with brown-violet membranous scales, ripen in early summer.
If you have already chosen which very first flowers you want to grow on your site, then for planting the weeds you need to provide moderately moist, not too light soils. The place is chosen semi-shady – under bushes and crowns of trees. The bulbs are planted in autumn to a depth of 5-7 cm, the distance between the bulbs is up to 10 cm, since they can stay in one place for 7-10 years. It sets seeds well, so it can be propagated by sowing freshly harvested seeds. Abundant self-seeding is characteristic.
Scilla is the most decorative in group plantings against the backdrop of a lawn, flowering shrubs , among trees , goes well with white snowdrops and yellow crocuses, early Kaufman tulips and the first daffodils . Like all low flowers, suitable for slides and rockeries. Used for forcing. Siberian scillas are good in bouquets.
Do you still doubt which first flower to grow in your garden in spring?
Then pay attention to the two-leaved scilla – the most abundantly flowering representative of the species.
On each peduncle 10-15 (sometimes up to 20) star-shaped small flowers, directed upwards, with a strong honey smell. The color is lilac-blue, pale pink, rarely pure white. The height of the peduncle is up to 20 cm, but since it is curved in the upper part, the height of the plant does not exceed 12 cm. It blooms earlier than the Siberian blueberry. Flowering is so abundant that group plantings form a continuous carpet. The bulb is white, about 1.5 cm in diameter. Propagated by daughter bulbs and seeds, gives abundant self-sowing.
Perhaps the most beautiful of the woodlands is Rosen’s woodland. A fairly large bulb, up to 3 cm in diameter, forms 2-3 peduncles, on which 1-2 large flowers with strongly recurved light blue petals.
The diameter of the flower is up to 3.5 cm. The height of the flowering plant is about 25 cm. It forms few daughter bulbs, the seeds are weakly tied. This explains its small distribution in culture. Spectacular in small groups in rockeries and on alpine hills against the background of ground cover evergreen perennials such as stonecrops, saxifrage.
And what flower appears in the first spring and blooms almost at the same time as the blueberry?
Spring belotsvetnik (amaryllis family). Homeland – Crimea, Caucasus, Mediterranean.
If you don’t know which first flowers appear from under the snow in spring, then the white flower is very easy to confuse with the snowdrop, although it blooms later, the plant itself is taller, and all flower petals are the same size. The stems, reaching a height of 30 cm, carry 1-2 white wide-bell-shaped flowers, 2.5 cm in diameter. Greenish-yellow spots are at the ends of the petals. The flowers are fragrant. There are species that bloom in summer and autumn. The bulbs are quite large, elongated, covered with brown membranous scales. Reproduces vegetatively and by seeds. Bulbs are planted in early autumn to a depth of 8-10 cm. The plant is unpretentious, able to grow in the shade and in wet areas. Belotsvetnik decorative in group plantings of 10-15 plants or more, can be used for early cutting.
What flowers bloom first in spring: pushkinia and brandushka
Here you will find out which other flowers bloom first in spring, and what they look like.
Pushkinia proleskovidnaya (lily family) grows in nature in the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Iran. The plant is very similar to the Siberian blueberry.
The flowers are drooping, bell-shaped, up to 2 cm in diameter, pale blue, collected in a loose brush of 10-12 pieces. The blueness of the flowers is enhanced by narrow blue stripes in the center of the petals. One of the advantages of Pushkinia is a pleasant aroma. The bulb is white, rounded, up to 3 cm in diameter. Two leaves appear from it in mid-April, narrow-linear, dark green, fleshy. At the same time, a peduncle 18-20 cm high appears.
If you already know which flowers bloom first and decide to grow Pushkinia, then it is better to propagate it vegetatively, as the plant sets a lot of seeds and gives abundant self-sowing. Bulbs are planted in early autumn to a depth of 7-9 cm. They can grow in one place for 6-7 years. Soils prefer nutritious, with good drainage. The site is chosen light, but Pushkinia can withstand light partial shade. Decorative in group plantings. Interesting as a border plant in combination with other spring flowers. Suitable for forcing.
If you do not know what the very first flower can be grown on your site, pay attention to the branduka.
Brandushka, or bulbocodium (colchicum family). This is one of the best “snowdrops”. Homeland – Europe, the Mediterranean. The wild-growing species of multi-colored brandushka is included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
The flowers resemble crocuses in shape and size, but have an unusual bright pink color for them. The diameter of the flowers is up to 7 cm, the height of the flowering plant is 8-10 cm. The stem is practically absent, and the flowers appear as if from the ground. The bulb produces several flowers. The life of one flower is up to 10 days, in general, flowering lasts two weeks. Blooms in the second half of April. Three narrow-linear leaves grow from each bulb. At first they are short, but continue to grow even after flowering, and reach a height of 25 cm. In June, the leaves turn yellow and fall down.
Can be propagated by bulbs and seeds. However, seedlings bloom in the seventh year, so vegetative propagation is preferable. Every year, the brandushka gives 2-3 baby bulbs. Bulb planting time is autumn. The optimal depth is 7 cm, the interval is 10 cm. The bulbs are not dug up for up to five years. The soil should be fertile, well-drained and moist. Bulbocodium prefers a sunny place, but is quite reconciled with shading, plants can be planted under deciduous trees.
Brandushka is great on a rocky hill and in small groups next to bushes and under trees. Suitable for winter forcing.
Which flower appears first in spring: Corydalis
What other flower blooms first, and blooms before summer?
Corydalis, or Corydalis (smoky family). About 90 species are known to grow in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. These are predominantly ephemeroid tuberous or rhizome perennials.
Plant height is from 10 to 50 cm. The leaves are strongly dissected, tender, sometimes there is a scaly leaf at the base of the stem. The flowers are medium-sized, with a spur, in appearance they resemble a helmet, which gave the name to the genus (from the Greek “koris” – a helmet). The color of the flowers is varied – white , pink, bluish, raspberry, purple-violet, yellow .
They are collected in apical racemose inflorescences. Tuberous species are valued for their early (April-May) flowering, which occurs at a soil temperature of 3-4 °C. Flowering lasts up to 20 days. After flowering, they lose their decorative effect.
In culture, the following species are most often grown:
Corydalis large bract (tuberous ephemeroid). Stems 15-35 cm high, juicy. The leaves are light green, few. The flowers are golden yellow, up to 2 cm in diameter, collected in a racemose inflorescence of 15-20 pieces. Blooms profusely in April – early May. Undemanding to soil and lighting, but suffers from stagnant water. Gives abundant self-seeding, propagated by seeds and tubers. It settles quickly, forming beautiful yellow spots at the time of flowering.
Corydalis dense (tuberous perennial) during flowering reaches a height of 10-25 cm. The flowers are mauve, 1-2 cm in diameter, collected in a dense racemose inflorescence. Blooms in late April – May. It reproduces well by self-seeding, daughter tubers.
The corydalis noble (tuberous ephemeroid) differs from other corydalis in large sizes – up to 50 cm high. The leaves are complex, dissected, pale green. A loose racemose inflorescence consists of yellow-orange flowers. Valued for early flowering – in April. – Demanding on soils – well-fertilized, sandy and loamy soils are preferred. Grows best in partial shade. Propagated by tubers and seeds. Seeds are sown in the ground immediately after harvest. They germinate in just one year. Tubers are planted in September at a depth of 6-7 cm, at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.
All types of corydalis are moderately poisonous. Decorative in the form of spots on the lawn, in mixborders, groups. They grow well under the canopy of deciduous trees. Can be grown in rockeries.
First flowers after snow: muscari
Muscari, or mouse hyacinth, or viper onion (lily family). Homeland – Southern Europe, the Caucasus. In the south of the European part of Russia, there is a rare protected species of Muscari blue.
In temperate climates, muscari bloom in late April and subsequently pass the baton of spring flowering to hyacinths, daffodils and tulips.
There are approximately 40 species and varieties that differ in flower color, inflorescence size and height of peduncles. Muscari height varies from 15 to 40 cm.
The flowers are small, barrel-shaped, intercepted at the throat, collected in dense multi-flowered inflorescences up to 10 cm high. The color of the flowers includes all shades of blue – from light blue to violet-black. In addition, there are white, pink and even yellow muscari. The flowers have a peculiar tart aroma. The inflorescences rise above the leaves and already at a short distance merge into a uniform color spot.
Every year, the plantings become more and more dense due to intensive reproduction, but thanks to the narrow leaves, the plants do not interfere with each other for many years and do not need to be transplanted. Leaves stay green for a long time. Muscari bulbs are small, ripen in early summer.
Bulbs are planted in autumn to a depth of up to 7 cm with an interval of 5-10 cm from each other. Planted bulbs can form leaves even before frost. All muscari, except for terry forms, quickly multiply by seeds, give abundant self-sowing. Seedlings bloom in the third year. These are unpretentious winter-hardy plants that do not require fertilizing and care.
Used in large groups, borders, rock gardens. From muscari, you can create multi-meter blue “rivers” with banks of early daffodils and tulips. Muscari are good not only in gardens, but also in cutting. Ripe seed pods are excellent material for dry bouquets .
In decorative plantings, three types of muscari are most often used.
Muscari Armenian has bright blue flowers with white cloves. They are collected in dense oval inflorescences on a rather high peduncle. There is a terry form.
Muscari racemose flowers are purple with white rounded teeth, non-drooping, collected in dense, compact inflorescences, plant height up to 10 cm.
Muscari grape -shaped has a height of up to 20 cm, narrow-cylindrical inflorescence consists of many smoky blue drooping flowers. There is a form with very beautiful pure white flowers.
The first spring flowers and their photos: chionodoxa
Hionodoxa, snow beauty (liliaceae family) is found in nature in Asia Minor, the Mediterranean. These are low bulbous plants with several flower stalks rising above the linear leaves. The peduncle bears a small raceme, usually of 4-5 flowers. The flowers are six-petalled, broadly bell-shaped.
For a temperate climate, two species are suitable that do not need shelter for the winter: chionodox Lucilia and giant chionodox.
The most common in the gardens of chionodox Lucilia. Blooms at the end of April. On a gracefully curved peduncle up to 20 cm high, there are from 5 to 15 bright blue, upward-pointing flowers, up to 1.5 cm in diameter. There is a pronounced white spot in the center of the flower. The ends of the petals are pointed. Bulbs are elongated, up to 2 cm in diameter, with white scales. Rapidly propagated vegetatively and by seeds. Gives abundant self-seeding. There are forms with white and lilac-pink flowers.
Chionodoxa giant has larger flowers (up to 4 cm in diameter), although on a low peduncle (up to 10-12 cm). In inflorescence from 1 to 5 flowers. They are pale blue with a purple tint, less bright than the previous species. The white spot in the center of the flower is weakly expressed. There is also a white-flowered form. Blooms in early April.
Chionodox prefer open sunny places, preferably shading in the midday hours. The soil should be loose and fertile. Propagated by baby bulbs and seeds. Bulb nests are divided in May and planted immediately. Fall planting is also possible. Bulbs are planted at a depth of 6-8 cm and at a distance of 10 cm from each other. In one place, plants can be grown for 5-6 years.
Used to create colorful spots in the spring garden, can be planted on alpine slides. Suitable for forcing and cutting.