Ever get that pre-Mother’s Day planting itch? Early Spring is a great time to sneak a bit of color into your garden before the bulk of the plants start blooming! By planting early blooming bulbs, perennials, or trees around the perimeters of the raingarden, you’ll extend it’s color life up to a month!

Bulbs: Plant in the fall. Bulbs can be tucked in virtually anywhere between your existing raingarden plants, however they do best on the high edges. Perhaps be creative by overlapping a flower garden into the raingarden?

Daphodil

Crocus

Siberian Squill

Tulips

Perennials/ Early Bloomers: Can be planted anytime, but spring and fall are best. They also favor the perimeter of the garden.

Pasque

Prairie Smoke

Columbine

 

Trees: Early flowering trees do well on the outside of the raingarden, such as the top “berm” of the raingarden (the pile of soil from when the raingarden was dug out). Planting on the tops is especially smart for fruit trees, which are susceptible to fungus. Keeping them in the dry parts of the garden/yard will ensure their success in wet areas. Serviceberry however can be planted anywhere, including the middle of the raingarden.

Crabapple

Service Berry

Cherry

Magnolia

Forsythia

Redbud