Best Spring Flowers for Pennsylvania Gardens

Spring is finally here in Allentown, and we are ecstatic to start our spring gardens with the best spring flowers for Pennsylvania.  Adding spring flowers provides early beauty to your outdoor spaces while supporting the ecosystem by giving local pollinators some much-needed food.  Plus, by attracting pollinators to your garden with spring flowers, you can encourage these pollinators to keep returning to your garden and pollinate your flowers, vegetables, and other plants.  Everybody wins!

Before we give our list for some of the best spring flowers for Pennsylvania gardens, let’s first discuss the last spring frost date for Pennsylvania and why it matters.

Pennsylvania’s Last Spring Frost Date and Why It Matters

Before planting, make sure that you know Pennsylvania’s last spring frost date to ensure that your plants stay healthy and avoid freezing or frost damage.  The last spring frost date for Allentown, Pennsylvania, is April 26th.  

The last spring frost date indicates that there is a “3 in 10 chance frost will occur” after that date.  So while the last spring frost date is not a guarantee of favorable temperatures for plants, it is a good guideline for when it is safe for tender plants (meaning plants that are sensitive to frost or freezing temperatures) to be outside.

Now, let’s talk about some of the best spring flowers.

1. Pansies and Violas

Pansies and violas are classic spring flowers for Pennsylvania homes. These blooms are cold-tolerant, which means they can withstand a light frost or snow that will likely damage other plants, such as tender annuals and tender perennials. Since pansies and violas thrive in the brisk air of March and April, they add color to porches or garden beds while the rest of your landscape and garden wakes up.

Differences Between Pansies and Violas

If you’re wondering what the difference is between pansies and violas, the distinctions come down mostly to size and petals.  Violas tend to be smaller than pansies.  Also, violas have two petals pointing upward and three petals pointing downward, whereas pansies have four petals pointing upward and one petal pointing downward.  Some people claim that violas are slightly more cold-tolerant and heat-tolerant than pansies are, but the difference is fairly small.

How to Care for Pansies and Violas

Pansies and violas love the sun but prefer to stay cool. Plant them in well-draining soil and in a place where they get morning light. To keep them blooming, remove spent flowers and keep the soil moist.

2. Candytuft

Candytuft is a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant evergreen perennial that produces fragrant flowers starting in the early spring and blooming into summer in Pennsylvania.  Its large, white flowers bloom in clusters, which make for a stunning garden display that can add texture to an outdoor space.

Since this versatile plant stays green in the winter, candytuft is a great choice for year-round color in your garden. People love candytuft for its dark green, needle-like foliage that provides a steady structural element in garden beds even after the blooms fade.

How to Care for Candytuft

Candytuft performs best in full sun and well-draining soil.  Give candytuft a deep watering once a week and then about every two to three weeks after the plant is established.  After the first flush of spring flowers, trim the plant enough to maintain its mounded shape and encourage reblooming later in the season.

3. Lenten Rose

Lenten Roses (Hellebores) are early-spring bloomers in Pennsylvania gardens, and they often bloom while ice remains on the ground and continue to bloom into the peak of spring. 

Although they are called “roses,” they are actually evergreen perennial flowering plants belonging to the Ranunculaceae family.  Also, unlike roses, Lenten Roses have lobe-like petals.  Their flowers face downward because the foliage and stems bend under the weight of these heavy flowers.  This makes the blooms look like small bells.

Lenten Rose blooms tend to come in shades of pink, white, and green, and their colors deepen as the flowers age.  Bees love Lenten Roses and will continually visit to drink from the flowers’ rich nectar.

How to Care for Lenten Roses

Lenten Roses thrive in partial shade and full shade.  So, plant them in shady parts of your garden, such as in shady corners or in woodland gardens.  

Give Lenten Roses moist, well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. They do not like to be moved once established. In late winter, trim old leaves to make way for new flowers and fresh foliage.

4. Bleeding Heart

Bleeding hearts add a touch of whimsy to Pennsylvania gardens. This perennial plant produces arched stems that have seven to fifteen heart-shaped flowers dangling from each stem.  If you want a unique plant or a fairytale look to your garden, then bleeding hearts are for you.

Bleeding hearts also are deer resistant, reliable, and perfect for cool, damp corners of your Lehigh Valley garden.

How to Care for Bleeding Hearts

Give bleeding hearts partial to full shade to thrive, and make sure that they have moist, well-draining soil that is slightly acidic.  Since bleeding hearts go dormant in Pennsylvania’s mid-summer heat, plant them near ferns or hostas that fill the gap once the flowers finish their spring show.

5. Columbine

Eastern Red Columbine is one of our favorite spring flowers because it is native to Pennsylvania, which makes this hardy plant adapted to Pennsylvania’s climate.  Plus, columbine thrives in the shade, so it’s perfect for filling in shady areas in your garden.

Columbine will bring hummingbirds and bees to your garden.  Also, as a bonus, columbine is fairly deer-resistant, which means that deer are less likely to destroy columbine plants.  Some gardeners even use columbine as a border around their gardens to deter deer away from their homes.

How to Care for Columbine

Columbine prefers dappled shade and moist soil. They are short-lived perennials but often self-seed, popping up in new spots each year. Leave the seed pods alone if you want them to spread.

Since columbine is native to woodland areas and rocky cliffs, these plants require little supplemental water or fertilizer once they take root in your garden.

6. Creeping Phlox

Creeping phlox is a low-growing, perennial evergreen that is perfect for dreamy ground cover.  This plant creates dense mats of foliage that work well for transforming a slope or edge in your garden.  It also is beautiful as a border flower or to soften stone walls and walkways.  You may have seen creeping phlox spilling over retaining walls in neighborhoods since its root system is excellent at holding soil in place on inclines.

How to Care for Creeping Phlox

To get the flower carpet effect, plant creeping phlox in full sun (although some creeping phlox thrives in partial or full shade) and give it ample drainage.  Avoid overwatering it once the plant is established.  When the flowers fade, cut the outer surface of the plant back (called “shearing the foliage”) to the same level to encourage the plant to have a smooth, dense look. 

Visit Lehigh Valley Home & Garden for the Best Spring Plants

At Lehigh Valley Home & Garden Center in Allentown, we have everything you need to make this your best spring yet.  Our Pennsylvania garden center has a large selection of colorful annuals and gorgeous perennials.  Plus, we have a variety of gardening tools, soil, soil amendments, and much more.  Also, make sure to check out our furniture options since we have the latest in patio furniture, outdoor home décor, and spring decorations.

We are the largest and friendliest garden center in Lehigh Valley, and our expert staff is happy to help you find what you need for gardening this spring and help you make your garden dreams become reality.

Stop by our Allentown garden center this spring for a wonderland of spring plants!