Spring Plants for Wisconsin (Zone 4)Spring plants get people excited. You're done with winter and ready for summer sun. One of the earliest bloomers on this list is the Lungwort/Pulmonaria. If you're planting your garden for color in all four seasons, it would be hard not to plant something for spring. This list has my favorite spring plants. 
Royal Star Magnolia / Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star'
A large shrub or small tree, Magnolia blooms are large, appear before the leaves, and are a pristine white. Brandywine Crabapple / Malus 'Branzam'
I like this crabapple for it's green leaves that have a tint of burgundy. The deep pink flowers are a bonus. Ok, a big bonus. Red Jade Crabapple / Malus 'Red Jade'
Want a bit of something different? This weeping crabapple might be just the thing. Pink flowers and red fruit along with the unusual form of the tree make this a great plant for any season. It would be outstanding in a Japanese-style garden. Vermont Sun Forsythia / Forsythia mandschurica 'Vermont Sun'
When choosing a Forsythia, make sure it's bud hardy to Zone 4. A few are hardy, but never bloom this far north. Vermont Sun is one choice that will bring the blooms. 
Pink Flowering Almond / Prunus triloba
In the spring the blooms appear along the branches, covering the plant. It's beautiful. Spicy Lights Azalea / Rhododendron 'Spicy Lights'
Azaleas are an easy care spring shrub with large blooms. They are slow growers and come in many colors.
Dwarf Korean Lilac / Syringa meyeri 'Palibin'
5' high x 6' wide, Full Sun As a rule, lilacs are pretty easy to care for. Choose this one if you've got a smaller space in mind. Smells just as good as the large lilacs. Onondaga Viburnum / Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga'
I like this Viburnum for its unusual flower cluster. The tiny, inner buds and flowers are a deeper rose, surrounded by larger, open, white flowers. TIPFor less maintenance, naturalize your bulbs. Just check the tag before you purchase them to see if they are for naturalizing. Spring plants are more fun and less maintenance if you don't have to dig them up every fall. 
Tulip / Tulipa hybrids
The numbers of varieties out there are staggering. For a big impact, I buy large quantities of one color and plant them all together. Daffodil / Narcissus hybrids
Yellow or white, the daffodils are easy to grow. Deer don't care for them, so this is an easy choice. Plan on naturalizing them, so you don't have to dig them up every year. Just look on the bag to see if they're for naturalizing. Purple Allium / Allium aflatunense
I love the allium. The pom-pon style flowers are different and they smell faintly of onion. Columbine / Aquilegia
The columbine comes in many colors. In late spring, wild columbine grows in the ditches in bright splashes of orange. 
Peony / Paeonia
As big as a shrub, this perennial is amazing. The huge blooms will make you want to collect as many as possible. They like a rich soil, don't like to be crowded, and don't want to be moved once established. They may sound picky, but I got mine to bloom the first year. 
Lungwort / Pulmonaria
The name may not sound great, but this plant is awesome for the spring shade garden. It delivers flowers by the bucket and the deer don't eat them. I often suggest this one as a replacement for deer-foraged hostas. As always, check your plant tags when you're at the nursery. Some of the spring plants that I've listed, have many varieties and the sizes may be different. It's a simple step that may save you some big headaches. Spring plants are a welcome addition in the northern states. I hope my list gave you some ideas for new color in your garden. Return FROM Spring Plants TO The Wisconsin Garden |
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