Planning for plant succession in the nursery and garden

Added on 21 March 2025

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Planning for plant succession in the nursery and garden

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At this time of year, most plantsmen and plantswomen are dreaming about the first flowers they’ll see in the coming month or so.

While these often take the form of bulbs like snowdrops or daffodils, some perennials enter the fray quite early in the growing season. Last year, our hellebores (Helleborus sp.) began flowering the first week of March and our moss phlox (Phlox subulata) were blooming by the end of March. Although these early bloomers are each wonderful in their own way, they’re no more special than many later-blooming taxa. So why do we look forward to them so much in particular? Because we’re eager for any color once winter loosens its grasp on our gardens.