Alliums

▶ What A purple cluster of flowers atop a three-to-four-foot stalk. “They’re magnificent!” Tennison says.
▶ Where to plant Full sun. Without enough light and heat, the plant will get spindly and droop or might not flower at all.
▶ Tip Alliums naturalize, meaning they multiply in the ground once planted. So make sure you love it, because wherever you put one, it will definitely spread.

Lenten Roses

▶ What A pink, rose-like flower and one of the earliest blooms. “It will literally come up in the snow.”
▶ Where to plant In a shady spot, they’ll bloom all summer.
▶ Tip Add bone meal or bulb booster and plant deep — four to six inches down — to reduce the risk of the bulbs freezing.

Delight Darwin Hybrid Tulips

▶ What A new variety of tulip, based on cultivars bred hundreds of years ago, that stays in bloom two weeks longer than most kinds
▶ Where to plant Sun or shade — tulips are versatile.
▶ Tip Squirrels love these, but they hate alliums, so plant some nearby.

Virginia Bluebells

▶ What Little blue flowers that bloom in early spring
▶ Where to plant In the shaded, moist soil near the base of trees, where the woodland native would grow in nature.
▶ Tip After the bloom dies, so do the leaves, so plant other things around it.

Dwarf Rhododendrons

▶ What An evergreen flowering shrub that blooms in late spring. They have a beautiful waxy leaf that adds to your garden all year.
▶ Where to plant Full sun — rhododendrons love heat.
▶ Tip As with most bulbs, even if you accidentally plant a rhododendron upside down, the spring shoots will follow the sun and still find their way up.