How to Create Colorful and Edible Spring Gardens and Containers

Welcome spring with a burst of color and fresh vegetables in containers and garden beds. Spring-flowering annuals such as pansies, stock, sweet alyssum, snapdragons and dianthus can add vibrancy, while cool-weather-tolerant vegetables like lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli provide fresh produce.

Spring blooms brighten landscapes and support early-season pollinators. Some, including pansies and calendula, are also edible. For safe consumption and better flavor, remove the reproductive parts and ensure they haven’t been treated with pesticides.

Upright vegetables like Swiss chard, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and chives serve as vertical accents in containers and gardens. Colorful lettuce, spinach, ornamental mustard and cabbage make excellent fillers in containers and edible border plants in garden beds for a short period.  

For lasting spring color, consider spring-flowering perennials that suit the growing conditions, complement existing plants and enhance seasonal beauty. Bleeding heart is a traditional spring favorite, while fringed bleeding hearts bloom later and retain their fern-like foliage throughout the season. Siberian bugloss (Brunnera), with its attractive foliage and forget-me-not-like blooms, thrives in shady areas. Columbines attract hummingbirds, and hellebores offer long-lasting blooms and evergreen foliage for extended seasonal interest.

Spring-flowering shrubs add visual appeal to mixed borders, foundation plantings and shrub borders. Pair them with perennials and other shrubs that bloom at different times, provide fall color and contribute to winter interest. To maximize their floral display, prune them as needed right after flowering.

Azaleas bring early-season color to shady areas and thrive in sheltered locations with moist, well-drained soil. Dogwoods offer flowers, fruit that attracts songbirds and fall color. Some varieties feature colorful twigs, while the native pagoda dogwood adds winter interest with its distinctive form.

Forsythia, lilacs and spring-blooming spireas remain popular for their nostalgic appeal. The fragrant flowers and striking fall color from fothergilla and Korean spice viburnums further enhance the spring landscape. Plant them where their fragrance can be fully appreciated.

Spring-flowering trees provide seasonal beauty. Disease-resistant crabapple trees offer flowers, persistent fruit and fall color. Redbuds bloom with vibrant flowers in spring and transition to yellow foliage in fall. Serviceberry trees welcome pollinators with their spring flowers, produce edible fruit enjoyed by both people and songbirds, and finish the season with brilliant fall color.

Evergreens offer year-round greenery, serving as a backdrop to highlight spring flowers and the fall color of deciduous trees and shrubs. Junipers thrive in hot, sunny locations, while arborvitae does well in full sun or light shade. Boxwoods perform best in sunny or partly shaded areas, where they are protected from winter wind and sun.

From small container plantings to expansive garden beds, spring offers ample opportunities to add beauty and flavor to the landscape. The added color will be a welcome sight as winter fades into spring.

Learn more …

about planting a colorful and edible spring garden with Melinda Myers
at 11 a.m. on April 12  at Pasquesi Home & Gardens, located at 975 N. Shore Dr., in Lake Bluff.
The event is free, and no registration is required.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition, and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses How to Grow Anything instant video series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. For more information, visit MelindaMyers.com.