Vigorous, Anemone nemorosa (Wood Anemone) is a dwarf herbaceous perennial producing masses of star-shaped, single, white poppy-like flowers, 1-1.5 in. wide (2-4 cm), sometimes flushed pink or purple on their reverse, and with a ring of prominent golden stamens. Borne on short upright stems, the blossoms rise above a deeply, finely cut, dark green foliage. Blooming in early to late spring, this Anemone spreads by branched and creeping rhizomes to form an impressive carpet in shaded areas where its luminous, bright faces are highly appealing.

Crocus Chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' is considered one of the best spring flowering crocuses. Award-winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit in 1993, it displays luminous, soft blue flowers on the outside with a bronzy yellow base and a deep yellow throat. This crocus is not only attractive, but also floriferous, fragrant, vigorous and reliable. Quite remarkable!

Wonderfully fragrant, Crocus Chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' is considered one of the best spring flowering crocuses. Winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit, it displays plump, creamy-yellow flowers on the outside with purple margins and a bronzy green base. Bright orange stamens add a fiery spark! This crocus is not only attractive, but also floriferous, vigorous and reliable.

Fragrant, Crocus chrysanthus 'Zwanenburg Bronze' is a very showy perennial corm with its rich, deep yellow cup-shaped flowers, heavily marked outside with dark bronze. Amongst the easiest to grow of all Crocuses, 'Zwanenburg Bronze' is not only attractive, but also floriferous, vigorous and reliable. Quite remarkable! Spectacular in large sweeping drifts, under trees, in front of shrubs, along walkways.

Among the earliest crocuses to flower, Crocus 'Firefly' features soft lilac to pale violet flowers with yellow bottoms and golden throats. Borne on sturdy stems, each plant has 3-6 narrow, dark green leaves, with each leaf being adorned with a very thin central silver stripe. A great performer, 'Firefly' will quickly increase over time, providing attractive splashes of color in the garden.

One of the most striking and earliest crocuses to flower, Crocus sieberi subsp. sublimis 'Tricolor' (Botanical Crocus) features large, fragrant flowers with rich purple petals and a golden throat beautifully edged with pure white. Borne on sturdy stems, the blooms open with narrow, dark green leaves. A great performer, 'Tricolor' is a cormous perennial that will quickly increase over time, providing attractive splashes of color in the garden.

Crocus speciosus 'Conqueror is a lovely fall-blooming Crocus with large, goblet shaped, rich violet blue blooms adorned with bright orange anthers. Usually the earliest fall crocus to bloom, 'Conqueror' also boasts the largest blooms within the Crocus speciosus varieties. The grassy, green foliage emerges after flowering and may remain until spring, depending on your location.

Fast spreading, Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant' boasts rich red-purple, star-shaped flowers adorned with bright orange anthers. The grass-like foliage displays narrow, median silvery stripes. Borne on sturdy stems, the flowers withstand wind and rain. The profuse flowering and spontaneous self-propagation make this crocus a very great choice for naturalizing. Once the corms of 'Ruby Giant' have established themselves, their flowers will emerge year after year in seemingly infinite numbers. This early spring-flowering crocus is one of the best for naturalizing in grass. Great also planted in clusters at the front of borders or in patio pots.

Vigorous, Crocus tommasinianus 'Whitewell Purple' features elegant, slender-petalled, purple flowers adorned with silvery mauve inside and bright orange anthers. The grass-like foliage displays narrow, median silvery stripes. Borne on sturdy stems, the flowers withstand wind and rain. The profuse flowering and spontaneous self-propagation make this crocus a very great choice for naturalizing. Great also planted in clusters at the front of borders or in patio pots.

Giant Dutch Crocus 'Pickwick' bears large, cup-like silver-lilac flowers, heavily striped with pale and dark lilac stripes. Extremely vigorous, long-lived and appropriate for naturalizing, this crocus belongs to the Crocus vernus group, known for its flowers that are larger than any other of the crocuses. A first-rate choice for planting in big, bold drifts in grass, where it will quickly spread.

Adding a burst of color to your spring, Fritillaria meleagris (Checkered Lily) features 1 or 2 nodding flowers per stem, generally presenting an interesting checkerboard pattern of dark purples and whites - although all-white varieties are also available. Blooming in mid to late spring, this hardy bulbous plant grows up to 14-16 in. tall (35-40 cm). Great for borders, rock gardens, under trees and shrubs and perennial beds. Perfect for naturalizing in a moist woodland edge. Hardiness Zones: 4-8

Taller than Galanthus nivalis, Galanthus elwesii, commonly known as Greater Snowdrop or Giant Snowdrop, also features larger flowers. Dainty, the nodding, white blooms display a double green mark on the inner petals that sometimes merge into one. They rise atop the foliage of bold, broad, silver-gray leaves which are reminiscent of those of tulips. This perennial is one of the earliest and loveliest spring flowering bulbs, adding several weeks of color and beauty to the garden from late winter - early spring.

Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop) is one of the earliest and loveliest spring flowering bulbs, adding several weeks of color and beauty to the garden from late winter - early spring. Slightly fragrant, this small bulbous perennial features dainty, nodding white flowers with a green spot at the apex of each petal atop 2 narrow, grayish-green leaves. The foliage emerges before the flowers, develops during and after bloom, and neatly fades away in spring.

Leucojum aestivum, although called 'Summer Snowflake', flowers in mid-spring and boasts 4-8 white, nodding, bell-shaped flowers with green-tipped tepals, dangling from each long, fairly sturdy flower stem. As an added bonus, the flowers are softly chocolate-scented!

Flowering in late winter to early spring, the Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum) generally appears at the same time as the snowdrops (Galanthus). Each flower stem usually carries a solitary lightly scented flower, white with green spots on its tepals, and rises above elongated, strap-shaped, glossy green leaves. Growing up to 8 - 10 inches (20 - 25 cm), this white beauty is an easy grower, naturalizes well and will multiply over time. It tolerates boggy spots and will do well on the edges of natural ponds.

Stocky and strong, Narcissus pseudonarcissus (Wild Daffodil) is a small trumpet daffodil with cheerful flowers, 2 in. long (6 cm), boasting dark yellow trumpets surrounded by a soft pale yellow ring of petals. Blooming in early to mid-spring, one flower per sturdy stem, they rise atop upright, strap-like, gray-green leaves. Perfect for naturalizing, this well-known European flower brings bright swathes of color to woods and grassland.

Native to Central and Southern Europe as well as Turkey, Scilla bifolia (Alpine Squill) is one of the earliest spring bloomers, producing two strap-shaped, semi-erect basal leaves and 1 to 6 upright scapes, each of which is topped with a one-sided 2-10 flowered raceme of starry gentian-blue flowers. Blooming heartily from early to mid-spring, Alpine Squill is a beautiful and reliable addition to the landscape, where it will happily multiply in optimum growing conditions. A wonderful way to add a sea of color to the rock garden or the border front. Typically grows up to 3-6 in. tall (7-15 cm). Hardiness Zones: 3-8

One of the earliest spring bloomers, Scilla siberica is a bulbous perennial boasting intense blue, bell-shaped, nodding flowers (2-5 per stem) in early to mid-spring. Each bulb produces 3 to 4 flower stems above a grassy foliage of narrow strap-shaped leaves. Easy to grow, this is one of the most winter hardy of the scillas and can be found in hardiness zone 2. A great naturalizer, it multiplies and comes back year after year, turning the landscape into a sea of blue. Looks best when planted in large drifts. Grows up to 3-6 in. tall and wide (7-15 cm). Hardiness Zones: 2-8

Anemone blanda (Grecian Windflower) is a rewarding little plant that can easily provide a great deal of pleasure! Offering dabs of bright colors in mid-spring, mounds of abundant daisy-like flowers show off in shades of white, blue, and pink over the finely cut fernlike foliage. These daisies seem to last for weeks.

Perfect for adding a burst of color to the fall garden, Colchicum (Autumn Crocus) bears big flowers in shades of purplish-pink and white in September or October. Resembling crocuses with its cup-shaped flowers, it produces its strap-like foliage, way later, in spring. Ridiculously easy to grow, all parts of this plant are poisonous, therefore it is diligently ignored by hungry deer, rabbits, and other critters.

Reminiscent of a hoop petticoat caught in the wind in early to mid-spring, Narcissus bulbocodium is by far the most widespread of the hoop petticoat daffodils. The main characteristic of this charming daffodil is short, very narrow petals and huge, flaring, funnel-shaped cups. Low-growing, it blooms prolifically, 3-5 blossoms per bulb, over a long season. Its attractive foliage of dark green leaves, resembling clumps of chives, is almost evergreen. Thriving in sunny locations and acid soils, it is excellent for naturalizing as it multiplies quickly and self-seeds as well.