Does anyone know of a flowers that are colorful with little upkeep and that come up every spring?

I grow Daffodils, Crocuses and Snow Drops, all of which require minimal maintenance. There are mini daffodils that can be easier on the eye, after they finish flowering, as their foliage is much shorter - varities such as Tete a Tete are blooming now in my garden, alongside the crocus and snowdrops. Tulips can be great, but some soils cause them to rot fairly easily.





Otherwise, I love Hellebores, which usually remain green througout the year, and different varieties have a fairly long spring flowering time. Helleborus Niger, called the Christmas Rose, is white, and flowers very early in the year. http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/Produc...





For variety, Helleborus Orientalis, which comes in a wide range of colours, from cream to purple/pink, flowers a little later, and is usually a little taller than the the Christmas 'Rose'.





You can grow these plants from seed, or else they cost about £4 / $7 or so, from a nursery. It's a good time to look out for them now, as they are usually sold potted, in flower - you can then find the colours that you like - many of them have speckled flowers and you can get some double flowered forms.





With these, depending on where you live, you could have flowers from January until the end of April.





Snowdrops are best planted and moved 'in the green', so if you can get some now, it's the ideal time to get them settled in. Daffodils and crocus can be planted from late August through to October, allowing them to root over winter and flower in the spring. Buy these bulbs from nurseries, online or some department stores. You may find some nurseries selling Daffodils in pots, which are in bud or flower - this allows you the benefit of some immediate flowers, and they will regrow next year.





My last favourite are the hardy Cyclamen, some of which flower in the spring - I have tons of beautiful pink/ purple flowers out in my English garden right now. Cyclamen Coum is one good variety. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2506...





These self-seed very easily, and so can multiply at no cost!





See the following for other varieties that you could try - subject to your location etc:


http://www.humeseeds.com/efcycl.htm





Hope these tips help. Good luck! Rob

Does anyone know of a flowers that are colorful with little upkeep and that come up every spring?
daffodils
Reply:Bulb flowers are the best to choose. You can buy daffodils, jonquils, crocuses, snowdrops, tulips, hyacinths. The BEST way to buy them is to go to the home centers and get the ones that are marked way down because they've wilted or lost their flowers--they're still good! Take them out of the soil once the foliage dies, then put them in a bag with peat moss and a little sevin dust (just a little). Then plant them according to the zone you live in. They will divide as they grow too!
Reply:Crocuses,bulbs flowering every spring.


Narcissi and daffodils, " " ".


Polyanthus,colourful plants,


Primroses,


Cowslips,


Aubretias,


Alyssum,


Saxifrages.


All the above can be left undisturbed for years to flower.require little attention,apart from weeding and feeding now and then with a general purpose fertiliser.
Reply:Bulbs are your best bet. Groundcover lilies are fabulous, because there are lots of bright colors and they multiply like crazy. Others that are personal favorites of mine are tulips, hyacinths, and narcissus. Rose of Sharon is a beautiful flowering hedge that comes in red, pink, lavender, or white blooms. It is absolutely beautiful and blooms for several months at a time.