The Best Flowers to Plant in Spring

A rich fragrance featuring spicy clove tones makes flowering stock a go-to annual for spring planting. Stock is a much beloved old-fashioned flower, but modern varieties offer things like better heat tolerance and a vivid range of jewel-tone blooms, including deep violet, rose-pink, fuchsia and white. Plant flowering stock in containers or planting beds near an entrance so you can savor the scent all spring long.

This old-fashioned favorite is a perfect annual flower for spring planting. Sweet peas grow best in cooler air, fading fast once summer heat arrives. Fragrant blossoms on this pretty vine feature many hues, including pink, lavender, white, red and near-black. In the South, plant sweet pea seeds in fall for a spring crop. In northern regions where summer is cooler, sweet peas may survive well into summer.

Grab a pack of pansies to brighten spring containers and planting beds. This cheery annual opens flowers in a rainbow of shades, including purple, white, yellow, burgundy, coral and all kinds of color combinations. When tucking pansies into pots, look for trailing types, like this Trailing Pansy Plentifall Lavender Blue, which cascades over pot edges. This pot also features grassy Luzula Lucius (snowy woodrush) and white sweet alyssum.

Spring is the right time to plant bulbs that flower in summer, including gladiolus. These colorful spikes come in every color imaginable, including red, orange, pale green, deep burgundy and purple. For non-stop flowers all season long, practice staggered planting. Tuck individual gladiolus corms into soil every 5 to 10 days. Be sure to leave space in your planting beds to accommodate subsequent plantings. Hardy in Zones 7-10.