15 Early-Spring Flowers That Bloom in March
If your branches are barely budding and your lawn is brown after a long winter, you’re probably desperate for a little bright color to add to your garden. And thankfully, Mother Nature has you covered with flowers that bloom in March to help you kick off the spring season beautifully.
Plants That Bloom in March
Crocus
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When you think of early spring bloomers, crocus is usually one of the first plants that comes to mind. Plant crocus bulbs in the fall, and enjoy bold, brightly colored flowers in the spring.
Crocus bulbs are notoriously delicious for squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters. You can put hardware cloth or chicken wire over your plantings in the fall, or sprinkle blood meal or red pepper flakes when you plant them to deter bulb thieves.
- Botanical name: Crocus
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Purple, yellow, white, blue, orange, and pink
- Hardiness zones: 3 to 8
Snowdrop
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One of the earliest blooms to appear in gardens each spring is the snowdrop, with its tiny white blooms often peeking out from fresh snow. It’s a great, low-maintenance flower that comes back year after year, and they can spread out and eventually form a blanket of blooms. One big caveat with this one: It’s toxic to humans and pets.
- Botanical name: Galanthus nivalis
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: White
- Hardiness zones: 3 to 7
Saucer Magnolia
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When you think of spring flowers, you may not always think of trees. But blooming trees like the saucer magnolia, which features dramatic pink and white flowers, will definitely add a wow factor to your garden landscape. The trees can grow up to 25 feet tall and wide, so give it plenty of space to stun you every spring.
- Botanical name: Magnolia x soulangiana
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Pink and white
- Hardiness zones: 4 to 9
Daffodil
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Daffodils are like a burst of sunshine in your spring garden, with their traditionally bright yellow blooms—though you can also find varietals in shades like white, blush, pink, and orange. Daffodils can reemerge for years once you plant the bulbs (which garden critters tend not to like), so they’re an easy-care choice for your spring garden.
- Botanical name: Narcissus
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Yellow, white, orange, peach, and pink
- Hardiness zones: 4 to 8
Primrose
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Primrose is an easy-care spring perennial, unleashing a flurry of blooms in a rainbow of color options. It’s also a plant that easily self-propagates, to create gorgeous clusters of flowers for you every spring.
- Botanical name: Primula
- Sun: Full or partial sun, full shade
- Flower colors: Blue, green, orange, pink, red, white, and yellow
- Hardiness zones: 2 to 8
Forsythia
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This easy-to-grow shrub erupts in bright, sunny flowers during March—then switches over to jade green leaves to help you add some privacy to your landscaping in the summer. Forsythia thrives in plenty of sunshine, so ideally, plant it somewhere where it can get six hours of sun per day.
- Botanical name: Forsythia
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Yellow
- Hardiness zones: 5 to 8
Grape Hyacinth
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If you want an easy-care plant to brighten your spring borders, grape hyacinth may be the answer. They produce dozens of tiny blooms on each stem and have bright, grassy leaves. They’re another March bloomer that can easily spread in your garden to add a bright mass of color.
Fun fact: These petite blooms aren’t actually hyacinths—they’re part of the lily family.
- Botanical name: Muscari
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Blue, purple, white, and yellow
- Hardiness zones: 4 to 8
Tulips
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Tulips tend to be a mid- to late-spring bloomer, but some varieties will brighten up a late March garden. (Look for tulips with the designation “early” in their varietal name.) They need plenty of sun to thrive, and look gorgeous when planted with other spring blooms. Pop them next to grape hyacinth for a contrast in size and style.
- Botanical name: Tulipa
- Sun: Full sun
- Flower colors: Black, green, orange, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow
- Hardiness zones: 3 to 8
Lenten Rose
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If you want something to brighten up a shady spot in your spring garden, the Lenten rose should be on your short list. Just make sure you pop it into a spot that gets plenty of shade in the summer, as that bright sunshine could damage it.
You can plant Lenten rose in either early fall or early spring to get blooms as early as February, depending on your zone.
- Botanical name: Hellebore
- Sun: Full or partial shade
- Flower colors: Green, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow
- Hardiness zones: 4 to 9
Pansy
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These sweet cool-weather flowers bloom in spring or fall. They are technically perennials, but are generally used as annuals in the garden. Pop them into a flowerpot or mass several plants along a border. While they can tolerate full sun, they thrive best when they get some shade each day.
While pansies will stop flowering in the heat of summer, if you keep the plants in a shadier spot and cut them back, you’ll get a second round of blooms in the fall.
- Botanical name: Viola
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Blue, orange, pink, purple, red, yellow, and white
- Hardiness zones: 7 to 11
Carolina Jessamine
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If you live in the southern parts of the U.S., you’re probably already familiar with this fast-growing vine, which produces pretty yellow blooms from late winter into spring. It’s perfect for providing plenty of privacy, as it grows densely onto fences or trellises. While it will tolerate partial sun, it grows fastest and hardiest in full sun.
- Botanical name: Gelsemium sempervirens
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Yellow
- Hardiness zones: 7 to 9
Reticulated Iris
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While you’ll have to wait until later spring for the grand dame bearded and Siberian irises, the petite reticulated irises can grace your garden as soon as March. The flowers only reach six inches tall, and offer masses of blue and purple flowers.
- Botanical name: Iris reticulata
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Blue and purple, with white or yellow detail
- Hardiness zones: 5 to 8
Ranunculus
These ruffly, rose-like flowers can brighten up your springtime, either in your garden beds or in your home—they make great cut flowers. Give the flowers plenty of sunshine to help them grow, though it can make do with a little shade. Some varieties are perennial, but others may only give you one glorious season of color.
- Botanical name: Ranunculus
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Orange, pink, purple, red, yellow, and white
- Hardiness zones: 7 to 11
Creeping Phlox
Creeping phlox is a vibrant ground cover, creating a carpet of long-lasting, tiny flowers in your spring garden. It’s also lovely planted as a lawn alternative in areas without a lot of foot traffic.
- Botanical name: Phlox stolonifera
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Blue, pink, purple, and white
- Hardiness zones: 5 to 9
Glory of the Snow
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As the name suggests, these petite purple flowers often peek out from beneath snowdrifts in late winter and early spring. It’s a low-maintenance perennial that grows from bulbs, and will also self-seed to create a bigger show in your garden next spring.
- Botanical name: Chionodoxa luciliae
- Sun: Full or partial sun
- Flower colors: Blue, pink, and white
- Hardiness zones: 3 to 8
Tips for Picking Early Spring Flowers
While many of the blooms listed above will appear in March in several growing zones, others may start blooming earlier or later if you’re at one of the growing zone extremes in the U.S. Here’s what you should consider:
Think about how you want to use them
There are lots of options for adding spring color to your garden:
Annuals Spring flowering annuals, like pansies, are perfect for a container near your front door or to fill in spaces in your garden where your summer perennials will soon be growing.
Perennials Want to ensure that you’ll get spring color every year from now on? Invest in perennial plants like hellebores or phlox that’ll reappear year after year. (Many will also self-propagate, so you can eventually end up with a vibrant display of that bloom throughout your garden.)
Bulbs Bulbs are one of the most popular picks for spring flowers, with many providing gorgeous blooms year after year. They typically need to be planted in the fall for spring blooms, but you can purchase container-grown bulb plants in the spring. Some bulbs, such as daffodils, will continue on for many years, while some varieties of tulips and other spring bulbs may only last for a few seasons before needing to be replaced.
Trees and shrubs Many spring blooming plants tend to be on the smaller, more delicate side, but if you’re looking for a dramatic burst of color, a blooming tree or shrub is worth the investment. Research the plants before you invest to see what they’ll look like in summer and fall—as many have intriguing foliage to add a showstopping element to your landscape later in the year, too.
Check out your local garden center
If you want instant gratification, that’s the place to go. They will be stocking the flowers that are blooming in your area right now—and can give you advice on what to choose for your needs.
Consider naturalizing bulbs
For a gorgeous spring show, plant crocus, daffodil, and tulip bulbs into your lawn instead of your garden next fall. When spring arrives, you’ll get a sea of gorgeous flowers to brighten up your winter weary lawn—and the blooms will be spent before your lawn grows enough to need a mow.
