5 Fall Plants for a Bountiful Spring Garden

Nothing beats seeing those first spring blooms in the garden poking up out of the ground. Many home gardeners don’t realize planting bulbs or seeds in the fall helps ensure you’ll have gorgeous blossoms and fresh produce once spring arrives. In fact, there are some plants that thrive better in the spring if you plant them right before the ground freezes—that’s because their root systems have a chance to develop over the winter.

We asked Savvy Gardening’s Niki Jabbour, to share her top five picks to plant this fall for a stunning spring garden.

Glory of the snow (Chionodoxa lucilliae)

“Glory of the snow is my no-fail choice for creating large drifts of blue in the early to mid-spring garden,” says Jabbour. 

Don’t let these diminutive bulbs fool you; the flowers will grow 12 to 15 centimetres tall, and do well just about anywhere in the garden. 

“Each indigo-blue bloom has a white, star-shaped centre and is produced in dense clusters,” explains Jabbour, who suggests planting these small bulbs in mid- to late autumn in both sunny and partially shaded sites, about seven to 10 centimetres deep. 

“I plant the bulbs in groups of seven to 10, repeating several times in each bed,” she adds.

Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus)

“Fringe tree is an under-utilised shrub or small tree that’s a spring stunner in the landscape,” says Jabbour. “In my zone 5B garden, it grows about 12 feet tall [3.6 metres], but in warmer areas it can reach heights of 20 feet [six metres].” 

This plant’s feathery white blooms emerge in mid-spring and last for two to three weeks, perfuming the air with their sweet scent. Choose a full sun or partly shady site for this variety; it thrives in average garden soil.

Fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’

Looking to add a huge impact in your outdoor space? Jabbour suggests planting Fothergilla, a spring flowering shrub, this fall. 

“‘Mount Airy’ is fabulous; it grows three to five feet [1 to 1.5 metres] tall and wide with unique bottlebrush flowers in mid-spring. The honey-scented white blooms delight the gardener and draw in early bees,” she says. 

Be sure to plant this shrub where its intoxicating fragrance can be most appreciated. Bonus: The show doesn’t end in spring.

“The fall foliage lights up the landscape in brilliant hues of red, orange, and gold,” adds Jabbour.

Allium schubertii

Also called the tumbleweed onion, this spring-blooming bulb produces show-stopping blossoms that grow to 30 to 38 centimetres in diameter.

“It’s often compared to an exploding firework because the purple blooms are produced on compact stems that grow just 18 to 20 inches tall [46 to 50 centimetres],” notes Jabbour. 

Allium schubertii is also super easy to grow; just plant the bulbs 15 to 20 centimetres deep in a sunny spot, and make sure it has fertile, well-draining soil. 

“I like to plant them in groups of three to five, spacing them 30 centimetres apart,” says Jabbour. “After blooming, I leave the seed heads in the garden to add interest throughout the summer months.”

Spinach

Don’t forget about growing veggies! You can get a jump-start on the spring harvest by planting spinach seeds in autumn, suggests Jabbour. 

“Direct sow the seeds in garden beds four to six weeks before the first expected frost date. This gives the plants time to produce a good-sized root system before the cold weather settles in,” she says. 

Space the seeds five centimetres apart and plant them about one centimetre deep. In late fall, water the bed deeply and cover it with a mini hoop tunnel to protect it from wind and snow.

“With low light levels in winter, spinach growth slows, but by early March the increased daylight promotes fresh growth and it won’t be long before you can start to harvest the tender leaves,” notes Jabbour. 

 Uncover the bed once the winter weather has passed and the temperatures are reliably around 10 C. Jabbour suggests harvesting spinach often by picking individual leaves or cutting the entire plant at ground level when it reaches the desired size. 

Try any or all of these plants this fall and watch your garden come alive next spring!

SOURCE and FOR MORE INFORMATION: 5 Fall Plants for a Bountiful Spring Garden